Brother & Bones/Electric Panda/Dan Gordon
October 23, 2013The Winchester Pub, Bournemouth
This Brother and Bones gig at The Winchester, Bournemouth is almost impossible to explain with words. It was absolutely incredible and an experience I will never forget.
The evening began with an acoustic set from Bournemouth’s own, Dan Gordon. This included a selection of his own songs and two covers, “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath and “Walking on the Moon” by The Police. Although a lot of the audience hadn’t arrived yet, Dan didn’t let this affect his performance and impressed all those that were there.
The second support slot of the night was “Electric Panda”, I’d never heard of this band before and I was quite disappointed with their performance. It felt as if they still needed to rehearse the songs they were performing and they also needed more energy on stage as it seemed the audience disengaged quite early on.
The venue soon filled as it approached 9:30 and the crowd worked their way forward, and I made sure I was stood in the prime spot being centre front. The room filled with a buzz of energy and the murmurs of conversation between groups of friends. As they stepped onto the tiny stage of The Winchester; and began their intimate opening of “For All We Know”, Brother and Bones formed their connection with the audience and had them singing from the very first song. I even saw the grin and possible shock of Rich Thomas, as they already had the audience in the palm of their hands. With the bass line roaring through my body, I knew this was going to be an unforgettable gig.
They then continued to absolutely tear the stage apart with formidable energy through “Man”, “Follow Me Down”, and the title song off their upcoming EP “To Be Alive”. The energy they emitted was thrilling to experience and had everyone in the audience moving along with them. Rich was stomping on the stage with overwhelming enthusiasm, which caused the stage to quiver and created an almighty bass line. Throughout these numbers, they stayed tight as a band and never let a beat slip away from them.
Front man, Rich Thomas, then took the stage for himself in an extremely tantalizing and ardent performance of “Gold and Silver”. I found it incredible that even after the energy had been built up from the previous numbers, there was absolute silence and admiration across the whole venue. Most notably, for me, this was from the rest of the band as they each (in their own time) shut their eyes and appreciated the evoking vocals from Rich. The crowd also followed in this manner as they were drawn in and showered in the dynamics of his controlled and raw voice.
The gig continued through a multitude of impressive speedy guitar strumming from James Willard and faultless bass lines accompanied with drums which shook the insides of everyone in the venue. Every slight crescendo in their songs pulled at heart strings and lured everyone deeper under the bands spell. I think something that impressed me the most was that with both a percussion section and drum kit, it created such a full sound that it was hard to believe there was only five of them on stage. It’s also important to point out that despite Alex Karban stepping in for Si Robinson; there was absolutely no alteration in the live show, which has been crafted flawlessly.
As I observed each member of the band, it was clear just how in control yet passionate they are about their music.
Everyone was able to switch between being composed to vigorous with their playing, yet always with impeccable precision. James Willard had numerous moments where the effect the electric guitar had and his ability to strum so fast caused utter astonishment, creating something indescribable to those who weren’t there.
This was the first time I had seen Brother and Bones live, however the recordings I’d listened to prior to this really don’t do them justice. The EP’s are incredible but the band are just out of this world and the dirty and gritty capability of their music; particularly in the drops, cannot be presented without the live experience. Rich’s vocal range just seemed never ending as he belted out notes which others would find arduous, with ease. Even throughout the gig, they would have banter with audience members who had clearly been to previous gigs and the hecklers who were having fun with them.
The length of their set was perfect as it was enough to tease the audience and leave them wanting more (which was noticeable in the amount of people I saw purchasing EP’s). The guys are extraordinary people and were around after the gig to talk to those who had stayed on. It was great to see that each of them took the time to pose in photographs, sign EP’s and talk to their fans. I got the chance to experience all of these and witnessed fantastic conversations where they were genuinely interested in the stories people had to tell them. This band is absolutely impossible to pigeonhole which is rare in the music industry today and I think this is something marketable for them. The fact that they are as good, if not better than their recordings also makes them the band to look out for in the future and I hope that one day they receive the recognition that they deserve.
Brother And Bones Set List
For All We Know
Man
Follow Me Down
To Be Alive
Gold and Silver
Long Way to Go
Hold Me Like The
Revolution
Back to Shore
I See Red
Donít Forget To Pray
Band Links
http://www.brotherandbones.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/electricpandaband
http://Www.dangordonmusic.com
Words Caroline O’Mahoney
Pictures & Videos by Jon Musselwhite