Live: Turin Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton.

by | Mar 1, 2016

Situated on the edge of a trading estate, The Brook is one of the more eclectically situated venues in the south of England and not one where you’d necessarily expect a Mercury nominated band to play.  However the lack of local parking spaces, and a steady stream of people walking into the 600 capacity venue tells you that after sixteen plus years together, Turin Brakes could play a bus shelter and still draw a crowd.

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

Fronted by longtime friends Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, they’re best remembered for their first two releases, 2001s The Optimist and 2003s Ether Song, but throughout their career their frequent changes of style have kept them an interesting and musically satisfying band to follow.  And this theme of change remains apparent on their latest release Lost Property, that’s created a renewed interest in the band of late.

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

They’re supported by the really likeable Tom Speight, who’s guitar based tunes are a perfect lead in.  Although the “singer songwriter with an acoustic guitar” genre has plenty of proponents, Tom weaves an interesting personal slant into both the introductions and the songs themselves, especially on Love and Willow Tree.  However the best moment is saved until the end, with the last song being sung purely via his guitar mic which gives it a slightly other world and remote character to it which is really original.

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

There’s a short break to top up glasses before Turin Brakes emerge from the back of the stage, nearly tripping over the drum kit, but to rapturous applause from the now packed house.  Given their years together, you’d be forgiven for expecting Gale and Olly to take a safe route of relying on their rich back catalogue to keep the crowd happy.  But thankfully that’s not the case and they kick the evening off with three songs from the new album including the latest single Keep Me Around, and the title track, Lost Property.

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

But the other thing that’s noticeable (and this counts for both the new and the old songs) is the richness of the performance that’s difficult to describe, partly thanks to Olly’s instantly recognizable vocals, and Gale’s restrained but technically superb guitar breaks.  It’s sort of like the musical equivalent of a warm bath that makes you believe that everything is good in the world, and which makes the next 80 minutes go just that little bit too quickly.  It helps that the band still have their original line up including Rob Allum on drums and Eddie Myer on bass who’s clearly the “class clown” and brings a humour and energy to the team that’s quite infectious.  One moment he’s crouched respectfully during the quiet intro to a song, and the next he springs into action, whirling and dueling with Olly centre stage.  He even admitted to having made a jazz album!

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

As you’d expect, they do make space for a good selection of the older songs, including the excellent Sea Change, We Were Here, and probably their best known song Painkiller, all of which are gleefully received.  However the high point of the night comes in the shape of a new song Black Rabbit.  Clocking in at over 6 minutes, it’s uncharacteristically long for the band, and starts slowly and gloomily before a wave of sound lifts you up courtesy of a sublime slide guitar solo from Gale.  It’s a great way to end the main set, and sets the scene perfectly for my personal favourite, Underdog in the encore.

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

The ever creative Turn Brakes @ The Brook, Southampton (Andy Sampson)

So, after all that it’s a real disappointment when it all ends and we all had to traipse back out into the freezing weather and the reality of the trading estate.  Watching Turin Breaks tonight has been like a dinner party with old friends; very civilized and enormous fun.  But best of all, the Turin Brakes playlist never has any dodgy songs on it!

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G00006Y.vrS_WiEI” g_name=”Turin-Brakes” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”casc” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”600″ height=”450″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”#ffffff” bgtrans=”t” btype=”new” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”flip” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” f_smooth=”f” f_up=”f” target=”_self” ]

Review by Andy Sampson at The Brook, Southampton 24th February 2016

Andy has more of this photography on his personal website Sound Ritual. http://www.soundritualphotos.co.uk/

 

GeeJay (Phoebe Nightingale)

GeeJay Share New Track Murder And Announce Biggest Headline Show To Date

North London soul-pop duo GeeJay have unveiled their brand new track Murder and announced details of their biggest...
YES (Gottlieb Bros.)

YES Announce 2026 UK Tour Celebrating Fragile

Progressive rock legends YES have announced their return to the UK with a nine-date tour in spring 2026, following the...
Hannah McFarland (Chris Ashlee)

“It Has Been a Whirlwind” — But Hannah McFarland Is Just Getting Started

Alabama country singer Hannah McFarland has barely had a chance to catch her breath. Since releasing her Broken Hearts EP in February, her career has skyrocketed with opportunities she once only dreamed of.

Lewis Capaldi @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

BST Hyde Park 2026 Kicks Off With Garth Brooks And Lewis Capaldi As First Headliners

BST Hyde Park has announced the first two headliners for its 2026 edition, setting the stage for another blockbuster...
Blondshell @ Electric Brixton (Kalpesh Patel)

Blondshell Brings Electric Brixton To Boil On First Night Of London Double-Header

Sabrina Teitelbaum — better known as Blondshell — has built her reputation on raw honesty and songs that cut deep, and...
Ash @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Ash Light Up Scala & Celebrate Ad Astra With Career-Spanning Set And Graham Coxon Collaboration

There was a palpable sense of anticipation outside North London venue Scala on Wednesday night as Ash returned for the...
Callum Beattie @ Glastonbury Festival 2017 (Kalpesh Patel)

Callum Beattie Announces New Album ‘INDI’ And 2026 Tour Dates, Including Biggest Headline Show Yet at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro

Scottish singer-songwriter Callum Beattie has announced details of his third studio album INDI, set for release on...
Maya Lane @ The Grace (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Maya Lane On The Hurt And The Healing: From Vulnerability to Growth

On a rain-soaked evening in London, rising singer-songwriter Maya Lane celebrated the release of her brand-new EP The Hurt And The Healing with an intimate show at The Grace. Just weeks earlier, we had met under sunnier skies at The Long Road Festival, beers and whiskies in hand, denim and sunshine everywhere. Now, umbrellas and storm clouds in tow, it felt fitting that Lane’s new project, a record that navigates through storms towards moments of calm, should arrive on a night like this.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing