It's been a fair while since Brand New last graced our shores,
with their last show being a one-off performance at Wembley Arena in 2010. Now
back on an eight-date UK tour, the band don't have a new album to support;
they're just here for the fans. The Guildhall seemed like the perfect venue for
Brand New, it was large enough so that enough fans could enjoy the sold-out
show without it feeling overbearing.
The band played a career-spanning set list that took songs
from every corner of their discography. Brand New have always enjoyed having an avid fan-base in the UK and it's obvious that tonight that they're
totally humbled by that. "You always make us feel so at home over here,
England." Frontman Jesse Lacey said to the admiring crowd, "It's
quite strange and wonderful". Brand New were in high spirits, and their
performance tonight showed it marvellously.
The band didn't play any new material at all, but that
didn't matter - everyone knew why they were here tonight and the atmosphere was
electric. They played through a robust set, spanning eighteen songs in the
ninety minutes they were on stage. The set moved from album to album, playing
chunks of each album at a time. Starting with The Devil and God Are Raging
Inside Me, they moved onto Daisy, Déjà Entendu and Your Favourite Weapon
respectively, before coming full circle with more tracks from The Devil and God
Are Raging Inside Me.
Brand New arrived stealthily on stage and were greeted with
rapturous applause. Without saying a word they proceeded with the instrumental 'Welcome
To Bangkok'. It set the atmosphere perfectly, with the track building up slowly
towards the explosive climax, with a post-rock feel to it. It transitioned
swiftly into 'The Archers Bows have Broken', with the upbeat rhythms getting the
crowd into a frenzy.
Lacey's voice has an imperfect and raw nature to it, similar
to Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum - a hero of his. It really shows the passion being put across by
the guy. He also shows a diverse range of vocal styles throughout, from the
screeching vocals found in 'Vices', to the softer tones of 'Jesus Christ'. He makes
alterations to the flow and melody of some songs, and it makes them feel more
personalised to the specific show. It feels like he's so emotionally attached
to the songs, few can replicate his intensity on stage.
When they were at their heaviest, you could feel the whole
venue shake with ecstatic furore. Two drummers were employed during these
moments, and it really emphasised how loud this band could actually be when they wanted to. Brand New are a band that enjoy taking
advantage of making songs that can at one moment be quiet and serene, and the
next, explode into a torrent of impassioned roaring from Lacey. The best
example from the night was on 'You Won't Know'. The build up to the first
instance of this happening was incredible - the crowd knew what was going to follow, and
the build up was awe-inspiring.
'Soco Amaretto Lime' was the definitive apex of the gig. With Lacey alone on stage donning just an acoustic guitar, it felt very intimate
despite the room being filled with just shy of 2,000 fans. Lacey had complete
control of the room. He was like a hypnotist, keeping the crowd under his
possession at all times. Every word he
sang was echoed in unison by the whole room. By the end the volume of people
singing 'You're just jealous 'cause we're young and in love' was quite
overwhelming. Jesse ended the song by changing the lyrics to "I'm just
jealous 'cause you're young and in love". The sincerity in his voice was
touching.
The last three songs in particular were a highlight for me,
they were the perfect trio to send off the evening. It mixed in everything
that made Brand New great - the tranquillity of 'Jesus Christ', the wholesome ferocity
of 'Degausser' and the haunting intensity of 'You Won't Know'. Where 'You Won't Know' usually ends on record with Lacey repeating "You won't know", the crowd refused to stop echoing those three words until the band had disappeared from the stage, as if clinging onto their performance, not wanting it to end.
Whether or not Brand New will ever record a new album
remains to be seen, but if they just kept doing what they did tonight from now
until forever, I couldn't be any happier. They really do have no equal.
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