A Lonely The Brave show is not just your average gig, it is an experience of raw emotion, hard hitting instrumentation and a level of passion which goes above and beyond any artist I’ve seen this year. This was the third date of the bands’ September/October tour and The Haunt, could not have been a more suitable venue, a blackened room full of mystery and ambience, reflecting everything the boys manage to flawlessly achieve.

We are first greeted with local Brighton heroes, Tall Ships who, as they begin the introduction for their hit ‘T=0’, are ready to show this crowd they mean to make a lasting impression. Singer, Ric Phethean, puts an enormous amount of enthusiasm into each strum of his guitar, yet on quieter numbers is able to pluck each note serenely, belting each lyric with a passion as though it were being sung to a sold-out arena. The interaction with the audience is comical and throughly entertaining, telling stories of how thankful they are to be playing alongside such an inspirational band in their home town. Tall Ships offer a superb support performance and this more than certainly not the last time you will be hearing their name.

The room darkens as the sombre opening instrumental track ‘Wait In The Car’, from Lonely The Brave’s newest album Things Will Matter begins to play. Finally the lads from Cambridgeshire take to the stage and you can tell everyone in the room is already preparing themselves for what is yet to come. The opening soundtrack seamlessly eases into following number ‘Black Mire’ and, as the room erupts into a blaring symphony of guitar and drums, it is immediately clear just why this band are more than capable of filling a room. Vocalist David Jakes’ tone is like nothing I have ever heard, a combination of incredibly warming melody intertwined with indications of dark pain and unease, sung to such a standard, few vocal experts can but dream of achieving.

For the majority of the show, Jakes takes his typical position towards the back of the stage whilst other members, Mark Trotter, Gavin Edgeley, Andrew Bushen, and Ross Smithwick fill the spotlight, playing their instruments with an enormous level of dynamism that is tough to take your eyes away from. Simply listening to the crowd, you can see that this band clearly hold an incredible level of sentimental value to their fanbase, as older tracks: ‘The Blue and The Green’ and ‘Victory Line’ play, you can hear not only the raw emotion in Jakes’ voice but of each person screaming each lyric back at them. The room feels as though it is morphing into more of a battleground of war cries than a local music venue by the sea.

The setlist continues and consists of a faultless balance between the new and old material, each track reflects a different personal issue and varying methods of portraying each topic in musical form. Some, such as ‘Backroads’ offer a real sense of optimism that anything can be achieved, with lyrics such as “If you be the sky, then I’ll be the bird.” offer the audience with a sense of freedom and vibrance. Whilst other songs such as ‘Diamond Days’ suggest undertones of an impending sense of doom and misery yet to be overcome.

The highlight of the entire performance undoubtedly comes from the magnificent encore track from the first album ‘Call of Horses’. This number offers an immense crescendo to the evening that I don't think anyone in the audience (and maybe even the band) was expecting. It is in the song’s breakdown that Jakes not only shows off the raw power of his vocals but proclaims them as though he were screaming it from the city’s highest rooftop. The line “We rode on” is drawn out into an overwhelming tsunami of heart wrenching emotion and control that even the studio version of the song does not do justice to by any means. Rarely do a band surprise me to such an extent where I have to remind myself of the awe of what I am hearing, but this one note achieved that to a magnitude I have never experienced.

Overall, Lonely The Brave offer a show which ticks almost every box the music fanatic could ask for. Emotional turmoil, a sense of mystery and a sound which is so powerful, it was made to be played to the masses. Attendees can expect a vocalist who despite his timid nature, has one of the most powerful voices on the planet today. The next time Lonely The Brave decide to visit Brighton, I will not only be there but will be front row, ready again to relive the euphoric experience once more.
Ben Walker

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