Brutus: It’s All Real

It’s not unusual in rock or metal to claim to be a ‘live band’ – the connection with the audience, the rush of performing, the pure joy of playing music are all exclusive to the live experience. But few bands have earned the live reputation of BRUTUS – the punk-meets-post-via-pop band from Belgium, who have spent the last few years writing and touring their seminal second album, Nest. As the band gears up for the release of Live In Ghent, an attempt to reclaim a lost year of touring, we sat down to speak with bassist Peter Mulders to find out how the band’s been coping with the double-edged sword of lockdown life.

For BRUTUS, the loss of live music meant that their main means of promotion also disappeared. “A lot of how we got bigger was through word of mouth. You have people who know your band and your music and come back to you to see what you do next. More people means more people; they bring their friends the next time.” From what can be heard on Live In Ghent – unadulterated emotion in Stefanie Mannaerts‘ (drums and vocals) vocals as she screams her lungs out to a reverent audience – it’s clear that the passion this band brings to their shows plays no small part in their upward trajectory.

The gap between debut Burst and follow-up Nest was infinitesimal – the band came off the road and immediately went back into the studio. Forced into a break because of lockdown, the momentum has slowed somewhat. “We didn’t want this year to go to waste. But it wasn’t easy because we’re a band, and it seems like we can only write BRUTUS music when we’re all in the same room. It’s really all about the dynamic.” explains Peter. “We tried it, we forced it, but when we started rehearsing in person again, we had maybe thirty demos and we didn’t use any of them! We still have those demos, and we might go back and use bits of them here and there but it’s not just the same as feeding off someone’s energy in the rehearsal space.”

BRUTUS decided to release a live studio session recording for the first single from Nest, War. A testament to their formidable live presence, the video has reached nearly one million streams, significantly more than the official video. For many, this was their introduction to BRUTUS – a post-rock guitar riff played in a cold grey room, three performers interconnected in a moment of quiet grief before the camera pans back to reveal Stefanie’s drum kit, and rage is unleashed. “We have always had a problem with music videos.” admits Peter. “What video could possibly do War justice? We had a three week session to record the album, and then on the last day, before we flew back home, we recorded that live video. It was hard – we were so tired. It took an entire day to film it, we had the camera crew getting different lighting and different angles and different shots. It was super heavy. We had to play it so many times, then see what was the best take. We didn’t want to edit anything. We wanted it to be live and real.”

It’s impossible to ignore that the themes of Nest – home, family, and the separation which touring brings on – are themes which have been ironically turned on their head in the wake of a global pandemic. But how did this impact the band? “When it first happened, we felt lost. Our whole year, all of our touring schedule and plans – everything just disappeared. We had so many festivals lined up, it hadn’t even all been announced yet. We had a whole month booked in America – and it was all gone. After a bit of readjusting time, we also found we were able to enjoy spending time with our families.”

This new dynamic surely influenced the decision to release a live album of this particular show – a homecoming concert in the band’s hometown of Ghent after a period of heavy touring, writing and recording. “That Ghent show was one of our first shows back home, and all our families were going to be there. I remember Stefanie feeling that she wanted to show everyone why we do this, so we wanted to give a really good show.”

When lockdown set in, after the initial shock, the band looked back at what they had done, to try to plan their next moves. When they had decided to release a live album, the show at Ghent seemed like the obvious choice. “I’ve played around 300 shows with Stefanie now. And I know sometimes, at the end of a line, she’ll hit a note – and it will either be the note on the album or she’ll push herself. She pushed her performance so much further to give extra during this show. And that was because everyone was so into it, the audience was so into it.” Part of their mission statement as a live band is that nothing has been altered. “You can fake almost anything on a live recording nowadays, but we didn’t touch up anything. That’s very important for us as a band. We didn’t do one edit; everything is real. So for anyone who hasn’t seen us – this is what we sound like. This is BRUTUS. And I’m so happy that it’s now on an album.”

Live In Ghent is out now via Hassle Records.

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