Brigade, London Kilburn Luminaire

May 10th 2009

There is an exciting anticipation in the air at The Luminaire in Kilburn tonight. It’s a small and intimate venue that has a certain lovable quality to it that many venues lack these days. What are we waiting for I hear you ask? Well tonight in London is the comeback performance of Brigade, a band that have been rocking our socks since 2003, but have spent the last six months in hibernation (bar their performance at the closing Astoria Demolition Ball in January, sob sob) due to front man Will Simpson having experienced vocal problems and being advised not to sing.

Fans have waited with baited breath in anticipation and finally the London based four piece have set to work on tracks for their third album and are ready to perform again. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat…

Brigade take to the stage with a frankly unexpected and intriguing re-mix of ‘Slow Dives And Alibis’, an album track taken from their second album Come Morning We Fight which was released last May. This usually fast paced and rocking number is melted down into a more subtle and harmonious offering and allows Simpson to demonstrate that his voice is back on perfect form, you just cannot keep this band down. The vocals are endearing with clarity and are abundant in harmonies from both Will Simpson and guitarist James Plant, with the sound in the venue tonight offering a definition to the vocals that they rarely have the opportunity to exhibit. Certainly a statement making intro for an impactful comeback performance.

In stark contrast to this, ‘What Are You Waiting For’ blasts and shatters the chilled atmosphere into fragments with its hard hitting guitar riffs and iron strength drum beats. “Get up or get out!” the crowd join in with a chorus that rocks the room to its foundations tonight. What sets Brigade apart from the large number of mediocre bands drowning the music scene these days is their ability to create good strong rock songs with lyrics that are engaging and thought provoking. The track allows Brigade to remind the crowd of the type of performance that they are capable of, with thrashing guitar riffs, fuelled with energy and enthusiasm.

Tonight’s set includes highlights in the form of three new tracks, giving us a taste of what we may be able to expect from the third album.  ‘Tiny Pieces’ is a catchy rock number that remains true to the Brigade equation for making great rock songs. ‘Evil, I’ is a track that has been around on set lists intermittently for the last fifteen months and suggests that this track may make an appearance for future recordings, and rightly so if the crowd reception to it here tonight is anything to go by.

What is special about tonight’s set is the little gems that have been pulled out of the back catalogue for this performance; songs from the older generation of Brigade tracks. The crowd reactions to these surprises are electric and the band absorb this reaction to create a dramatic and energetic performance that shows just how much they love and have missed performing; this is surely where they belong. Drummer Andrew Kearton is on form tonight with powerful and impactful sounds, as is bass player Naoto Hori who dons a Jagermeister scarf over his face, a trait we have come to know him for, a less than subtle advertisement!

‘Null And Void’, taken from the Made To Wreck EP makes another welcome return to the set, which boasts freshness and a reminder of why we fell in love with this band in the first place back in 2003. The sound is huge with gargantuan rip-roaring riffs and heavy bass lines fused with catchy melodies and energy. The music itself is statement making and the vocals aid the journey through this eclectic and intriguing track.

The set is injected with last year’s more pop driven single ‘Stunning’ that packs extra catchy choruses with the ever occurring heavy riffs and melodies, a track that welds itself to your memory. A crowd pleaser for sure and all four members of the band create a vibe that captures the room.

Tonight’s set closer treats us to a performance of ‘Boundaries’, the closing track from Come Morning We Fight which has only ever been performed once before, at Hinterland Festival in Scotland. This is a very surprising choice this evening, but is in no way a disappointment, far from it. In fact we find ourselves loving the track far more than we ever did before, after hearing it live. “So keep searching for what I don’t think you’ll find/I haven’t been here for a while”. The start is simple with simplistic vocals and notes that develop and merge with riffs and atmospheric melodies that build over the four minutes to peak in an explosive finale.

The set receives an enthusiastic round of applause and cheers that surely reassures Brigade of their ability to win over crowds and draw attention has far from been lost. The almighty Brigade are back on form and we cannot wait to hear more new material from them soon. These boys really are back in town…