When ticket prices are going through the
roof and the touts are having a field day you can’t get much better value for
money than the night I had at the 100 Club this week. Four bands for £12 and the wonderful “The
Brew” amongst them.
“The Brew”, a three piece rock band [from
that hotbed of rock, Grimsby] wear their influences like a badge of honour, from
the experimental psychedelic tunes of the '60s, to more contemporary artists on
the rock scene but particularly Led Zeppelin and The Who. They made a triumphant return to London at
the 100 Club and played a great set mainly taken from their last album “Control”. Disappointingly the audience was thin on the
ground, probably around 200, but they made enough noise for an audience five
times as large by cheering at every opportunity. It is strange quirks of fate that The Brew
haven’t caught on here in the UK as much as mainland Europe where they sell out
most nights.
The Brew consists of Tim Smith (bass),
Kurtis Smith (drums) and Jason Barwick (guitar, vocals). Barwick in particular wears his influences
openly and honestly, from the windmill arm antics of Pete Townsend to the
violin bowed interlude ala Jimmy Page, particularly where they morphed Moby
Dick into closer “Rewind”. If you like
your blues/rock to be from the golden age but have a modern twist, then check
out The Brew, especially their last album “Control”.
“Lost Minute”, a five piece rock band that I
have to say were very impressive. They
were unknown to me before the gig but I shall watch these with interest going
forward. Great songs, great musicianship
and especially great vocals from 22 year old Ruby Lewis. A real smorgasbord of influences here but
whatever they are they’ve put their own spin on them. One to watch.
“The Black Circles” a three piece blues
based combo who managed three tracks in their allotted time of half an
hour. Good playing and enjoyable songs
but nothing you probably haven’t heard before from the Blues genre.
First up on the night were “Hands Off
Gretel” who must have felt right at home in the 100 Club as their “punk/grunge”
influences were tattooed everywhere, literally!
Blue haired, pig-tailed singer guitarist Lauren Tate was an absolute
ball of energy and led the band through a raucous set in front of a paltry 20
or so people. Sadly the music wasn’t
really to my taste but good to watch.
“The Brew”, a three piece rock band [from that hotbed of rock, Grimsby] wear their influences like a badge of honour, from the experimental psychedelic tunes of the '60s, to more contemporary artists on the rock scene but particularly Led Zeppelin and The Who. They made a triumphant return to London at the 100 Club and played a great set mainly taken from their last album “Control”. Disappointingly the audience was thin on the ground, probably around 200, but they made enough noise for an audience five times as large by cheering at every opportunity. It is strange quirks of fate that The Brew haven’t caught on here in the UK as much as mainland Europe where they sell out most nights.
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