So happy he did interviews!
In February I stumbled across an intriguing interview from the UK. James Smith of Extraneous Terrain had nabbed some much coveted time with Jesse Lacey. My project seemed similar to James’ and I thought, ‘next time Brand New do a show near me I’m going for it.’ When the band announced a…
Photos from the London, Toronto, and Guelph shows. I’m nicknaming this the “Buy Shirts So I Can Get My Hernia Fixed” tour (Hopefully Jesse doesn’t really have a hernia, because all of that jumping around is probably not very good for it). Wish I could have made it to more stops, but had a blast at these three shows.
p.s. sorry for spamming your feed, but if you like Brand New, then I’m sure you won’t mind.
Recently traveled through Ontario to see Brand New. Saw them in London, Toronto, and Guelph; with Guelph being my favorite of the 18 shows I’ve seen so far. If you are so inclined, check out my video of Sink from Guelph on Aug. 3rd.
I miss Brand New! Hope they tour again, and soon!
Brand New 3-Aug-2012 Guelph
Screaming into the pickups.
One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was to attend this show! Seen them 18 times and they still amaze me.
Best In Show: Brand New @ Guelph Concert Theatre 3-Aug-2012
This was that night that I met Jesse Lacey. In the next few days I’ll release that interview (the first in 3 years with a North American outlet as far as I can tell), which I hope will shed some light on the truth and depth of Jesse and Brand New’s honest, genuine and humble nature.
Aside from the interview, which I learned of just the morning of, I was set to attend the show in Guelph as a fan anyway. The second their first Canadian tour in three years was announced, greedy hands snatched all possible tickets up. I was lucky to get two.
It’s hard to detach the interview from the show but I’ll do my best. First off, the venue was a cool room with character and little-to-no air conditioning. With the heavy crowd the space was near stifling but it’s hard to complain when you understand how special a night can become with a band. Thankfully, all possibilities were met.
Openers An Horse and Cursive owned the crowd and stage. An Horse, a duo from Australia performed a short but memorable set of punchy, indie rock songs with Jesse Lacey filling in on base duties. The three on stage looked to be having fun, enjoying the appreciative crowd and holding nothing back. There’s was an energy rooted in heartfelt vocals and pure confidence on stage. Cursive hammered through a set of their unique but powerful brand of rock complete with jaunty time signatures, emphatic percussion and the always-appreciated live horns. Although I’m not a huge fan of their work it is hard not to respect the energy and quality of their songs.
When Brand New took to the stage it was with an air of accessibility. Some have described their presence on stage as detached but the time away and the general head space of the band seemed refreshing and excited. Solar temperatures mattered not to those in the crowd as the opening notes of “Millstone” led to deafening chorus chants from the crowd, all screaming “Woah-o-ooo” in unison.
With a healthy mix of songs from all four albums, the band anchored a memorable experience to every person in the room. Jesse’s voice sounded incredible live (as always), spanning the range from “Tautou” to “Vices” without falter.
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the show was how much fun the band seemed to be having on stage. Smiles were shared regularly along with some Nirvana and Modest Mouse jams. They even made light of some broken equipment with some generous jam time.
Something that I haven’t ever really felt the full effect from before was lighting but something about the timing and colour of their use Friday night really stood out. It was almost another member of the band, an entity that was engaging and vivid.
This is the sixth time I’ve seen Brand New and something that has never waivered is their complete almost self-destructive performance energy. Jesse admitted that the closing songs might send him into unconsciousness but somehow found more to give to the crowd. Those that got set-lists after complained that although “Play Crack the Sky” and “Welcome to Bangkok” were there, they weren’t played but in all seriousness I could barely breathe or stand after the completely drenching and explosive ender that was “You Won’t Know”, the ending of which had Jesse laying on the stage still playing guitar near his fallen microphone.
There’s so much more to a live experience with Brand New but those things are coveted and treasured by those that lived them. To everyone in the Guelph Concert Theatre that night, kudos, and to the band that will forever be cherished by me and the other attendees that night, we thank you…we thank you exponentially.
Stay tuned for the article/interview with Jesse Lacey and some pictures from infront of the barrier later this week.
@MikeOncley, you sir are amazing. This is the best thing ever! I hope this becomes available for purchase some day soon.
(via brandnewrockfan)
Fact. Should have gone.
All these pictures of Brand New at Bamboozle are breaking my heart:c :c
In the early stages of a t-shirt quilt! #ftw (Taken with instagram)
Hey guys, I hope you’ll check out the High Five! I did for Green Light Go Publicity, which features my top five venues. As an added bonus, you can revisit Brand New’s music video for “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows “, I forgot how funny that video was. I love when the boys are all in the waiting room…so concerned!
A picture of Brian and I from the first Shone show in February. Still laughing very hard at it.
