“I met strangers who offered me candy… and I got into their van.” Brendan Shane isn’t your average frontman.
We’re tucked into a back room at The Asylum in Birmingham, in a dimly lit green room. Outside, a queue of black-clad fans is already forming in the Birmingham’s humidity. Inside, the frontman of Las Vegas dark rockers The Nocturnal Affair is recounting a recent “Anthony Bourdain-style” misadventure through haunted theatres and cathedral graveyards.
The Nocturnal Affair
“We started the tour in Buckley at the Tivoli Theatre, which was supposed to be haunted,” Brendan tells me. “Didn’t get to do the ghost tour because of the show, but after, I met some really cool people in Chester who gave me dinner, and a ghost tour. They took me to this pub, the Marlborough Bar. The sign has an extra ‘R’ in it because, apparently, the sign painter got so spooked by a ghost, he rushed the job and misspelled it.”
It’s a story that perfectly sets the tone for The Nocturnal Affair: eerie, a little absurd, and oddly heartfelt. And as Brendan jokes about joining strangers in vans, it’s hard not to be drawn in by his mix of dry wit and emotional sincerity, the same duality that defines his music.
The Accidental Birth of a Band
Before they were touring Europe with Wednesday 13 and Drowning Pool, The Nocturnal Affair began as something else entirely, an anonymous goth-rock side project meant to blow off steam.
“I was in a band where everything was democratic. Lovely guys, but my career depended on how hard they worked. I needed something of my own,” Brendan explains. “So I started this weird little thing on the side. We called it The Feels, like the meme. Just a joke at first.”
But jokes don’t usually sell out the House of Blues. The local radio picked them up, crowds responded in droves, and suddenly Brendan had to take it seriously. There was just one problem: too many other bands were already called The Feels.
One night, while rehearsing with the new lineup, members of his old metal band walked in. They weren’t happy. “It was like I got caught cheating,” Brendan laughs. “They were like, ‘Why are you playing with them? Are they better than us?’ It was this full-on emotional interrogation. And that’s how we became The Nocturnal Affair.”
“I Write to Be Understood”
From those early days, Brendan’s songwriting has evolved into something raw but intentional. Songs like 1000 Ways To Die and Cross Me Out explore trauma, heartbreak, and identity, but through a lens that feels universal.
“I’ve always been influenced by bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, artists who don’t stick to formula,” he says. “Working with Lauren Hart from Once Human, we rewrote 1000 Ways To Die together. She heard something in it I was missing. That changed my whole outlook. Now, I write in a way people can understand, not just feel.”
That balance, between intimacy and accessibility, is what defines The Nocturnal Affair sound. The heaviness is there, yes, but it’s layered with vulnerability. “You’re learning a new language every time you write. The goal is to speak clearly without losing your voice.”
The Sonic Journey
Though based in Las Vegas, the band’s sound isn’t tied to the Strip. Brendan pulls influence from everywhere, sonically and geographically.
“Cross Me Out was written in Atlanta. We evolve constantly. I don’t want us to always sound the same,” he explains.
And they really do. Their version of Haddaway’s What Is Love manages to be both playful and brooding, a crowd-pleaser with a gothic twist, a song that shouldn’t work on paper but does. “Covers help people connect. When you’re seeing a band for the first time, it’s comforting to hear something familiar. Suddenly, you’re singing along.”
The band also covered Depeche Mode’s It’s No Good and Brendan hints there are more left-field reinterpretations on the way. “Some might already be recorded,” he teases with a grin.
The Shadow of a Giant
Touring through Birmingham on the very day a memorial honouring the late Ozzy Osbourne gave the night an added weight.
When asked if Ozzy and Black Sabbath had influenced his music, Brendan didn’t hesitate. “I don’t know how else to say other than yes, absolutely,” he said. “And not only did they influence my music, but they influenced the bands that influenced me. They influenced the bands that influenced the other bands that eventually influenced me. You know what I mean? They started it all.”
I mentioned that his vocals on their track Down gave off unmistakable echoes of Ozzy. “That’s the first time I think anybody has compared me to Ozzy since I was in the metal band previous to this band,” he smiled. “We had some demos, and a friend back home was like, ‘You sound like early Ozzy.’ I was in my early 20s then.”
In Birmingham, Ozzy’s hometown, those echoes feel especially profound.
The Nocturnal Affair
The Power of the Live Connection
As we talk, Brendan circles back often to the live experience, the connection with fans who show up, not just for the music, but for the meaning behind it.
“We are the soundtrack to their lives,” he says. “They’re the main character. Our music plays under their biggest moments.”
Still, he’s wary of overthinking the responsibility. “If I start believing I have to write a certain way to connect, I’m trying too hard. The best thing I can do is keep writing what I love, and hope it finds the people who need it.”
From watching the crowd outside The Asylum grow larger by the minute, it’s clear those people are already here.
Building Cinematic Worlds
The Nocturnal Affair’s music videos aren’t just visuals, they’re small films, complete with interconnected storylines and moody aesthetics.
Interestingly, Brendan credits that not to himself, but to his manager. “Mark came to me and said, ‘Don’t ask questions. Just trust me,’” he says. “And the result was Cross Me Out and Benefit Of Doubt. Honestly, it’s been amazing. I’m just along for the ride.”
Would he ever take that storytelling into film scoring? “I already do,” he nods. “Sometimes I put a show on mute and write to it. It’s how I start my mornings. I’d love to score a movie officially.”
What Comes Next?
With new tracks on the horizon and a European tour underway, Brendan’s not sure what the next big milestone is, but he has ideas. “Download. Wacken. The Sphere in Vegas. Maybe even our hometown T-Mobile Arena. You gotta dream big, right?” he said with a cheeky grin.
As for collaborations? “There’s a bunch. David Gunn from King 810. Chris Jericho, we’ve toured with him and I’d love to record something together. Honestly, if I respect the artist, I’m open to it.”
He also references Halsey’s bold team-up with Nine Inch Nails as a dream scenario: “That kind of creative risk? I think about that stuff all the time.”
“Welcome to the Family”
As our time winds down, the rumble of bass tests the PA system in the next room. Brendan leans back, suddenly reflective. “Thank you for being so kind to us.,” he says, addressing the fans directly. “Especially for the UK, thank you for always being so welcoming to us. I don’t know what we did to deserve it, but we are forever grateful, and we can’t wait to meet everybody in Europe.”
Catch The Nocturnal Affair on tour supporting Wednesday 13 in the UK and supporting Drowning Pool across Europe and prepare to be haunted, in the best possible way.
The Nocturnal Affair
Interview with Brendan Shane of The Nocturnal Affair @ The Asylum, Birmingham, by Henry Finnegan on 26th July 2025. Instagram: @finneganfoto | Facebook: @finneganfoto
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