Ahead of Empirical's gig at Cardiff's Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's Dora Stoutzker Hall tonight, Andy Howells chats to Lewis from the band.

“Who are you and how did you come together?

We are Empirical. We came together about 6 years ago after meeting in the London music scene. We had a common goal of making original music through experimentation and observation.

Where are you from? London

How would you describe your music style?

Improvisation is at the core of what we do, but we take influence from all sorts of musical traditions, composers, musicians, songwriters, not to mention other arts forms and parts of life. We draw on these influences collectively and individually.

What’s been your best live experience?

There have been many..a recent highlight was a small club gig in Munich. It was a great gig, mid tour, with strong connections between ourselves and also with the audience.

You’re touring shortly are you looking forward to that?

Very much. Our touring right now is sporadic..mainly because it's not that easy to take eight people on the road. But we love playing live and it's an important part of what we do.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Cardiff gig?

Strong communication, some forward looking composition, playing and risk taking.

Where can people hear your music?

You can hear plenty of us by going to www.empiricalmusic.com”

Visit rwcmd.ac.uk for ticket information.