Walking into an initially quiet venue, I wondered how well Brother and Bones would be received by an audience who seemed much more interested in the bar than the stage.
Fortunately, as it turned out I had nothing to worry about. Despite the cold Tuesday night, the venue steadily filled throughout the gig, ending in an explosive set from the talented five piece.
The evening was opened without fuss or pretension by local boy Mike Johnson, a one man and acoustic guitar act. The warming chords of his first song ‘Bridges’ claimed everyone’s attention, as did a rousing cover of ‘Last Night’ by The Strokes. Johnson bashed out his songs with increasing passion and enthusiasm, proving himself to be a talented musician and soul searching lyricist. With a style reminiscent of Ed Sheeran, Mr Johnson overall provided a very enjoyable start to the evening.
Next up, noisy Liverpudlian four piece The Roscoes burst onto the stage, grabbing back the audience’s wavering attention with both hands. Their fun, riotous set almost blew us all away, or maybe just blew our eardrums. A stormy medley of electric guitar and fierce drums, ‘Own Way Down’ stood out for its volume and vitality. Lead singer Edd Barlow pulled some impressive shapes on stage as the whole band writhed with energy.
‘Saturday Streets’ was another notable number, somehow managing to sound straight out of the 1950s yet also fresh and interesting. ‘When It Gets Me Down’ also brimmed with vivacity and playful exuberance, seeming to almost overflow the venue. The Roscoes’ sound and stage presence is suited for filling much bigger venues one day – I hope to see these indie darlings again soon.
By now a strong crowd were gathered in front of the stage in lively anticipation of Brother and Bones. They opened their set with well calculated number ‘Burn This City’, rising and falling in volume and tempo whilst spanning folk, country, and rock genres. The cacophony of noise onstage was mirrored by the pulsing energy of all the band members, with front man Rich Thomas absolutely stealing the show and winning the audience’s hearts.
Use of an acoustic guitar allowed Brother and Bones to contrast soul wrenching acoustic melodies with the brash vitality of their rockier numbers. Latest single ‘To Be Alive’ was a favourite with the audience, a rapturous, blood-vessel-bursting song that had plenty of people singing devotedly along. This was immediately followed by ‘Gold and Silver’, where Rich took to the stage alone except for a guitar and a single spotlight. Hauntingly melancholy lyrics ‘Don’t weigh yourself down before you find your eyes’ sent shivers through the room.
‘For All We Know’ was especially arresting, capturing the audience and band together in a bubble of shared experience as the whole room raised their voices. Brother and Bones seemed in those few stunning, transcendent minutes to explore the heights and depths of existence itself. Punchy bluesy number ‘On The Run’ followed, and the raw, dark intensity of ‘Follow Me Down’ was a hit.
The last few songs relied on exuberant loudness and the energy onstage to push them towards the finish, losing a little of the finesse of the first half of the set, but was still commendable for the effort and passion put in. Begs for an encore produced an earthy Black Crows cover, calming the audience down just before the set crashed to a joyful end. As Brother and Bones left the stage, beer in hand, it was hard not to feel moved by the intense, raw passion of their set. Definitely a name to keep your eyes on.