Live Review
Jubilee Courts
Brondes Age, London
February 25 2014
Words/Photos: Linn Branson
Not noted for its live gig dominance, but conveniently placed on the High Road in Kilburn, Brondes Age transpires to be a fairly homely kind of place with squishy leather sofas in its bar-cum-venue room, exposed brick walls - art works displayed on them - and some ambient lighting effects courtesy of a few dozen tealights. The stage is small, but at least not crammed in a room out back, and it is here that Jubilee Courts hold court for a seven-song set.
We first came across the Northampton four-piece (the fifth piece having apparently decamped in recent weeks) last year and were immediately taken by their distinctive guitar sound and moody rhythms. This is our first opportunity to catch them live. The impression is a favourable one, despite learning afterwards that this was a relatively late booking and they had not even been able to soundcheck.
As they start to warm-up, those familiar guitar twangs that has so defined their sound, start to echo around the room and gather attention from the mixed crowd of happy punters. With his shades-wearing (deployed by all three guitarists tonight) style, frontman Josh Falconer not only look, but sounds, a dead-ringer for Ian McCulloch, circa early 80s. While the dark groove of opener 'Kings Of The Heath' and 'Where The People Go' work well, it's when they reach 'Room With A View' that they're on solid ground.
Both this and 'Strip Down' being both sides of their debut release, and the swelling chord structures to both, brooding bassline and melodic riffs, typify what they as a band are about. The vocals on the latter, as with 'Small Talk', aim for the lower register, giving an eerie, dark edge against the higher guitar notes. The band use the descriptive term 'dank' to define their sound; a 'dance-punk'. Not too sure about that: It's certainly more-ish, and admittedly foot shuffle-inducing, but more with a slight psych/gaze-lite edge, perhaps. A promising preview of a band set for bigger things, nevertheless.
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