Just three days removed from their triumphant homecoming show at Cambridge's huge Corn Exchange, Lonely The Brave were back in the region as they continued to celebrate the release of their stunning new album 'Things Will Matter'. The Open in Norwich acted as a more intimate setting for the band as they continued their rise to prominence.
Prior to our headliners we were treated to two good if unspectacular support sets. Up first were locals Lightscape who sounded decent enough, and showed signs of potential with their middle of the road rock. With more experience and honing of their craft then they could have a future in the ever difficult music business.
Following them were the interestingly named Swedish Death Candy who have been acting as support for the whole tour. They are certainly a more polished act then Lightscape and their doomy riffs and stoner rock hooks enthral those gathered to bear witness. All good stuff but it was clear the reason the venue was packed was our headliner and by this point of the evening anticipation was high for our local heroes.
Lonely The Brave have become amongst the foremost purveyors of catchy arena rock in the UK. Their 2014 debut 'The Day's War' put them on the map and featured numerous songs so massive that they belong on arena stages. Last week's follow-up 'Things Will Matter' has only cemented their potential for greatness and I'm interested to see where it charts come the weekend.
Whilst they have the ability to write powerful poppy rock anthems the thing that sets this band apart from the pack is their musicianship. Each member is an expert at their occupation, and together they form an unstoppable force of a band. This was clear to me watching the gig as the audience seemed almost in awe of the band. Imagine watching the brilliance and elegance of Pink Floyd but with the true sing-a-long hit making capabilities of Fleetwood Mac.
The setlist comprised a mixture of tracks from their two albums, with the band mixing things up from their Cambridge show a few nights ago. New track 'Boxes' got an airing as did fan favourite 'Trick Of The Light' from 'The Day's War' which was missing on Friday night. The band certainly keep themselves and their fans on their toes as they chose to open with 'Black Mire', pushing previous set opener 'Radar' to the middle of the set.
'Black Mire' and 'Radar' encapsulate the darker, moodier essence of 'Things Will Matter' over predecessor 'The Day's War' and this only seems to emphasise the spectacular sing-a-longs of 'Backroads', 'Deserter' and 'Black Saucers' from their debut. By the time the huge 'The Blue, The Green' brought the evening to a close the fans were so hungry for more that it appeared that they wouldn't leave!
But when we eventually left for the fresh night time air I was left to ponder just how big the band can become, for if there is any justice left in this faltering industry this could be the last time that Lonely The Brave are playing this sized venues.
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.