On walking into the club it is clear that all is not what it seems, the interior is clean, modern looking, and not the usual toilet of a gig club I am used to frequenting in student areas. The club has a huge three sided bar in the middle & a huge 3 sided balcony with ornate decorations adorned. BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is being shown on the screens with sub titles on, whilst the DJ plays indie tunes.
Tonight's act, part of the Piper Club's YoYo indie night are The Brunettes, who hail from New Zealand. Often wrongly, I feel, touted as a boy/girl duo they actually consist of five musicians, sometimes even as many as ten members, tonight however it is the five piece. Johnathon Bree and the beautiful Heather Mansfield are the core of the group. Due to be on stage at 11:00 the DJ announces due to technical problems there will be a delay, at the moment there are about 20 people inside the club, I can only assume there are more enjoying the hot air outside, the club is well cool with cooling air conditioning.
The band finally gets on stage at 11:35, to a few solitary cheers and claps, looking around I doubt there are a hundred people in the club. The front of the stage is a lowered dance floor and no one is stood on it, preferring to stand on the steps around the dance floor.
Bree is dressed in trousers, shirt and tie; Mansfield is dressed in a white top and shorts set blazoned with mini Mickey Mouse drawings and thigh high black boots. The rest of the band are dressed in casual attire as if to differentiate between the duo & the remaining band members.
Opener is 'The Obligatory Road Song' from 2007's 'Structures & Cosmetics album. This has an almost fragile, gentle start to it, ascending into full on bubblegum pop. When Mansfield sings, her voice is as good as she looks. Singing and playing the keyboards with no effort. Bree is looking serious and maybe even disenchanted at the poor turnout. He certainly doesn't look to be enjoying himself, Mansfield is the complete opposite, she clearly enjoys performing regardless how large the crowd, constantly sporting a very wide smile.
Next up is the recent single 'B A B Y' or 'Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth' which has had regular playing on Channel 4 tv, featuring as the backing music to the recent Holyoaks trailer. Mansfield picks up the clarinet & the bass player picks up his trumpet, during the chants of "B A B Y I love to call you baby, I don't care if I call you baby, my honey, my sugar, don't care if it sounds cliché," the band hold their right hands in the air supported by the left, all in an almost military precision line. After a lively opener two girls in the crowd have started dancing on the empty dance floor. Mansfield asks the crowd to "come forwards" which they duly do.
Into 'Her Hairagami Set' which they self described as, "when New Zealanders try to get epic" with its Parisian style & Mansfield's tinkling of the keys, Bree looks at Mansfield and Mansfield gazes back, there is definitely chemistry between the two of them. Mansfield is now playing the glockenspiel. Next up is 'Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks' from the album of the same name from the 2002 debut which Bree tells us is "Available on the merchandise stall for ten pounds" This track again features Mansfield's tantalisingly delicate vocals mixed with some quirky 80s style synth playing, whilst the fellow synth player even does a Spanish monologue, this is more serious than bubblegum pop and is beautiful to listen too. Mansfield talent knows no bounds as she starts to play the mouth organ. A guy taps me on to the shoulder & asks who this great band is???
The short 2004 album title track 'Mars Loves Venus' which is a duet accompanied with early 80s style computerised space ship noises, which I haven't heard since The Rah Band's, cheesy, 'Clouds Across the Moon', all good stuff. Then Bree tells us "We are going to have to miss songs from the set due to the earlier technical difficulties." Which is a shame as the music is great and the majority of the audience seem to be enjoying it.
The encore consisted of 'Structure and Cosmetics' quickly followed by 'Polyester Meets Acetate'. The lights come on just 40 minutes after walking on to the stage which is very disappointing; I really expected a longer set from a band with three albums & various singles. The musicianship is excellent and the songs performed with passion.
Having picked up a set list from the stage after the gig, hand written on a herbal teabag wrapper, quaint! I counted just ten songs listed; maybe the teabag wrapper was all they had room for. Whilst disappointed to hear such a short set I guess it is a compliment to the Brunettes that I wanted to hear more, like the old saying goes, always leave them wanting more!
Brunettes are currently touring mainland Europe and will be back in the UK, playing larger venues, towards the latter part of May.
Set list:
Obligatory Road Song
B A B Y
Her Hairgami Set
Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks
Mars Loves Venus
Not Played
The Moon In June Stuff
If You Where Alien
Mary Kate
Encore
Structure & Cosmetics
Polyester Meets Acetate
article by: Gary Stafford
photos by: Gary Stafford
published: 15/05/2008 07:46
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.