Reviews

Sat 28 Jul 2012

Brown, Males and Strang and the Strange, 20/7/12

It had been a while since I had the pleasure of seeing Brown play live so was very happy to hear that they were returning to the stage in Dunedin. Originally the show was going to be at The National but a last minute change saw it relocated to the Robbie Burns Pub. It was an interesting venue for a gig; very light and not much floor space.

Up first was Strang and the Strange. True to tradition, no one stood right in front of the make-shift, ground-level stage but the band did not seem to mind as they delivered a stand out performance. Individually, they are all incredibly talented musicians and they also work well as a team. For such a young band, Strang and the Strange have a polished sound. If they are this good at such an early stage, I can’t wait to hear more in the future.

Males were on next, celebrating the release of their single “All Up From Here”, the first from their debut EP MalesMalesMales, available for download on Bandcamp now. These guys always have so much energy on stage, the three-piece bands seem to be really dominating at the moment. It definitely felt like a celebration of all the hard work they put into their recording. The short duration of their songs is oddly appropriate in a society where people’s attention spans are dwindling. Males’ songs are short, sweet and to the point, always giving you enough and never feeling incomplete. Definitely recommend downloading their EP.

Headliners for the night were Brown. Playing their first Dunedin show in quite a while. The crowd were eager to listen and packed tight up by the stage, it was hard to see over so many heads. Thankfully Robbie Burns has some wall mirrors conveniently placed. The band had returned to Dunedin to do some recording in The Attic, an EP which I am definitely looking forward to the release of. The witty and humorous lyrics and good local accent set Brown apart from other Kiwi bands, as well as the vocal harmonies of the Brothers Cathro. Their song ‘Our Love Is Like A David Bain Jersey’ went down well with many crowd members singing along with great enthusiasm and after someone saving the day by bringing along a tambourine (Astro Children), I was very happy to hear one of my favourite Brown songs live; ‘Kosmonavt’ definitely sounds better with a tambourine.
It was an awesome show, well worth going out for after a long days work. Make sure you keep your eye out for new Brown recordings, I know I will be.

Melissa Flett