Music is emotive. From different genres to different renditions, music is able to create intense emotions in people. However, as I entered the Brighton Centre on Friday night I knew that what I had in store for me was not a night of introspection or heartache, or even raw anger but, instead, joy, amusement and a little helping of pity. See, tonight saw the arrival of David Brent to the Centre, hot off the release of Ricky Gervais’ latest film, Life On The Road. The film, centred around the Lavichem sales rep, caught up with the star of the series The Office 15 years on from the show, as he travels up and down the country attempting to live his dream of becoming a rock star. Tonight, Brent was about to live that dream with his band, Foregone Conclusion in tow. My friend and I arrived in good time but after an energy-draining queue at the bar, we finally took our seats with a plastic cup of beer that can only be described as ‘requiring two hands’.

Brent almost instantly strode onto the stage in rock star style, shades on, suit on and swagger on, and kicked off with the rocking ‘Ooh La La’, a tale of travelling America with his guitar in tow and a beautiful woman along for the ride: “Sold my shack in Memphis, bought me a Chevrolet/ Six string in the back and a bottle of Jack/ And I headed down to Mexico way”. He then embarked on a number of cringe-inducing solo numbers including ‘Slough’, an ode to his home city, ‘Lady Gypsy’, the story of losing his virginity to a traveller he mistook for a prostitute and ‘Native American’, paying homage to the indigenous peoples of the U.S. in the way only Brent can: “Oh Native American/ Soar like an eagle, sit like a pelican.”

References to The Office were few and far between but Brent’s desire to show his musicianship during the mockumentary brought with it hits such as ‘Paris Nights’, an adaptation of Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana, and ‘Spaceman’; Brent’s attempt to be non-discriminatory and respectful of all races yet failing miserably. He then broke into the film’s eponymous track, ‘Life On The Road’ before his rock tune ‘Thank Fuck It’s Friday’ and, for the only time in the show, broke character as he attempted to crack a joke to the guitarist, before erupting into fits of laughter and missing several lines of the song, all to the crowd’s unbridled joy.

Midway through the set Brent was joined onstage by his “friend” and rapper Dom Johnson (Ben Bailey Smith). Throughout Life On The Road it became obvious that the former Wernham Hogg manager is being used by Dom to release his own music, while Brent is simply overjoyed to have, what he considers, an ethnic friend. As Dom entered the stage he was greeted by the middle-aged sales rep with the introduction, “ You can’t really get anymore racial than that!” The duo then embarked upon a number of awkwardly bungling singles which, from ‘Lonely Cowboy’ to ’Ain’t No Trouble’ to ‘Equality Street’, all highlighted the aching desire they both hold to be musicians, without the understanding of their audience and the full extent of the lyrics they feel are so meaningful.In this vein, Brent’s finale for the night came in the shape of ‘Please Don’t Make Fun Of The Disableds’. Looking to right the wrongs in the world, this song is Brent’s way of making it be known that he wants to help to everyone, no matter what. From lines such as, “Whether mental in the legs or mental in the head it doesn’t mean their sorrow doesn’t show”; to “Please be kind to the ones with feeble minds, help the awkward through a door/ Hold their hand, if they’ve got one, understand/ You might have to feed the worst ones through a straw/ It’s basically a head on a pillow”; to “Please don’t make fun of the disabled or you might get fired,” Brent’s ability to shock, amuse and silence an audience was in full swing. However, this time it isn’t a stich up.

And this is where my main concern for the show comes. Personally, as a die-hard lover of The Office, Extras, Cemetery Junction and near enough anything Gervais has touched since, tonight I came to see the awkward and sometimes offensive character as he painfully made his way through a set designed to inspire but, in actual fact, shock and anger. So, to see this character in a sold-out arena, cracking jokes to fits of laughter and rousing applause didn’t quite make sense. If he’s useless at song-writing and terrible at audience interaction, how could he possibly sell-out a venue such as this? But this is nit-picking and, obviously, in order to create the real atmosphere of a Brent gig would mean allowing only six or seven people into a venue ten times smaller than the Centre and would certainly not be of interest to Gervais. So, in this environment we had to make the most of it and, as Brent made his way back onstage for the encore, fans rushed from their seats to the front of the stage as they snapped pictures and recorded their ‘idol’ as he sang the festive ballad “Don’t Cry it’s Christmas’: “Don’t cry, it’s Christmas, Santa’s feeling kind/ And although you’ll never see him, he’s not just in your mind/ And it’s not that he’s invisible, it’s because your going blind/ So don’t cry, it’s Christmas, Santa’s feeling kind”).

No matter what your opinion was of Life On The Road, fans of The Office and Brent were then able to rock out as he finished with the full version of his classic ‘Freelove Freeway’. On reflection, the gig was everything I could’ve wanted from the show. Aside from my earlier gripes, as a lover of all things Gervais, my main aim from the night was to see the man and myth in person and enjoy every one of his cringe-inducing songs. I can say with no uncertainty that that’s exactly what I did. Anyways, I’m off now to eat mince pies and listen to ‘Don’t Cry It’s Christmas’ for the seventieth time and can only hope you do the same. Or maybe not. It’s your choice. But, after all, you do not punish a man, Brent or otherwise, for having a go.

Dan White

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