LONDON - Jay Kay, flamboyant frontman of disco-funk band Jamiroquai, was assaulted in central London early on Wednesday, suffering facial injuries just hours before he was due to perform at a homecoming show, witnesses said. Onlookers told Reuters that the vocalist, whose band has sold 20 million copies of its five albums worldwide, was head-butted in the face during the assault.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard, London's police headquarters, told Reuters "At approximately 1:25 a.m., police were called to an alleged assault in St. Martin's Lane. A male suffered cuts to the face and nose. Obviously we will investigate." Jay Kay, famed for his outrageous taste in hats and a passion for Lamborghini sports cars, is due to perform on Wednesday night at the Broadway Boulevard in Ealing, west London.
Jamiroquai funked their way onto the British music scene in 1992 with the single "When you Gonna Learn."

Their first album "Emergency on Planet Earth" laid down eco-moralizing lyrics over disco-funk beats and secured their place on nightclub play-lists right through to the 2002 release of "Love Foolosophy." In a recent statement, Jay Kay said he was looking forward to his show on Wednesday. "The gig's going to be like a flashback to those exciting times back in the days when the whole acid jazz scene was just exploding. I can't wait."
A Jamiroquai spokeswoman told Reuters early on Wednesday that she was unaware of the attack and could not say whether it would affect the Broadway Boulevard show.