The Bravery

Just under 12 months ago, a little known Las Vegas quartet called The Killers were embarking on their first European tour. The rest, as they say, is history....

It was always going to be inevitable then that a host of artists from both sides of the pond would emerge claiming to have always held a high regard for Duran Duran, The Cure and New Order.

Strangely enough, New York’s The Bravery claim to be unfamiliar with the works of both their latter-day and current peers, citing people like Jane’s Addiction and Nirvana as their main cause de celebre as far as forming a band was concerned.

It was always going to be difficult for The Bravery, as unlike The Killers last year, their first UK tour was sold out weeks in advance thanks to the collective values of word of mouth and expectation respectively. All this before any full-scale release on these shores too. The general feeling tonight is one of "Here we are now, entertain us" as stern gazes and folded arms uniformly await the arrival of the oldest looking new kids on the block.

As The Bravery take to the stage, the cynic inside me just has to comment that if this lot haven’t been 'advised' by a stylist, then their appearance is a wet dream for any future manufacturing of a rock-ist/pop-ist nature. There’s the Morrissey one at the front (Sam Endicott, vocals), all pout and sinew of biceps. Then you have the Casablancas/Tabby from The X-Factor clone (Michael Zakarin) on guitar, not to mention uber-goth (Mike H – but not the one from Steps) on bass. There really is something for everyone. Oh, did I forget to mention the songs? (so far, yes - Ed.)

For a band with no recorded output officially available at this moment in time (last November’s ‘Unconditional’ was a limited edition release that sold out within a day), it seems a fair few people in here already know most of the songs, such is the power of Kazaa.

Not surprisingly, the aforementioned ‘Unconditional’ – surprisingly tossed off at the start of the set – and forthcoming single ‘An Honest Mistake’ get the haughtiest reception, although the frantic Strokes-go-day-glo-disco pomp rock of ‘Swollen Summer’, and 'The Ring Song' stand out admirably from the rest of the set. Indeed, with its Trevor Horn-style electro-shimmer, Sam Endicott’s NYC charm, and Morrissey-esque slant on reaching the high notes, 'The Ring Song' could be this year's ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’.

On the whole, The Bravery don’t disappoint. They’re a damn sight more animated than The Killers for sure, yet in the tune stakes there's as much filler as there is bona fide 'choons'. When judgment day arrives then, song quality will surely be the deciding factor as to whether this band have any longevity or not.

Photographs courtesy of Will Clay