LIVE REVIEW: Lonely The Brave @ Academy 3, Manchester

Up two flights of stairs of the Manchester University Students Union building, Cambridge based alt-rockers LONELY THE BRAVE bring the second night of their latest tour to Manchester’s Academy 3 merely two days after the release of standalone single Only You Say It. Their unique blend of fluid guitar interplay, soul invading vocals and anthemic arena-ready singalongs make certain an evening of catharsis is to be expected. 

First in line to build the energy in the room is dramatic modern emo three piece THE THROWAWAY SCENE, barraging the audience with monster drum lines and punchy accenting riffs. The lack of live guitar is somewhat jarring to begin with, but vocalist Oliver Hame’s movement and performative charm, long hair thrown around quickly centralises attention, with almost an aura of AFI’s Davey Havok to him. Ambient electrical noise and drum machine samples accompany the gaps between the songs, synergising the tracks together with a sharp aggressive energy to the set. They seem set to be a new gem in the current emo revival, and certainly one to keep an eye on. 

Rating: 7/10

Next to capture the interest of the crowd is London’s VLMV, ambient post-rock duo who create beautiful all-encompassing soundscapes. Performing however, is just songwriter and producer of the outfit Pete Lambrou, arranging the pieces from scratch through looping his guitar, synths, voice, and piano. The ethereal nature of the tracks is further amplified by the beautiful dual spotlight on him grasping the attention of all in the room despite the quiescence in energy compared to the openers. A particularly enthralling moment was during For Empire, surrounded by a scene of atmospheric ambient loops when Lambrou patrolled the stage abandoning the microphone harmonising with himself seemingly lost in the ocean of sound he created, as we all were. The whole room is taken willingly on a pilgrimage through each piece as they are established and expanded, with haunting melodies aplenty. He ends the set fallen to the floor surrounded by a looping wall of noise, raising his arms in appreciation for the crowd, and the feeling is well and truly mutual with a reaction a headline act would be contented with. 

Rating: 9/10

The drop in energy is certainly not reflected in excitement for the headline act, LONELY THE BRAVE. Emerging to a slowly accelerating low synth drone, they start proceedings with Keeper, truly setting the tone for the remainder of the evening. Opening with dual harmony guitar, driving rhythms and an infectious chorus with singer Jack Bennett encouraging the crowd’s participation from the off as the line “She’s my keeper” is screamed from the top of everyone’s lungs. The emotion in Bennett‘s performance is infectious as he truly appears to live and breathe every line he sings, with a characteristic grit to his voice which really magnifies the transparency in his lyrics. This precedent is continued in Black Mire, with guitarists Mark Trotter and Ross Smithwick leading the whole crowd in bellowing the echoed refrain of “Hangnote”. Bennett seems taken aback by the sheer power of the crowd’s voices, frequently removing his monitors to experience the room, remarking he could hear the crowd better than he could hear himself.

Open Door is certainly a highlight for the rhythm section of bassist Andrew Bushen and drummer Gavin Edgeley, culminating in a monumental driving end section leading Bennett to hammer his microphone stand into the stage in time with his bandmates. The band even treat the crowd with a few new songs which go down well, often featuring their trademark post-rock inspired ambient guitar interplay and powerful choruses. Where perhaps rousing movement wasn’t the response from the crowd on the night, this can’t be mistaken for not feeling a connection to the band and the songs, it was often the crowds singing that could be heard louder than the band themselves, truly a feat to behold.

This night was perhaps LONELY THE BRAVE as they are meant to be heard. Their best moments are filled with melancholic singalongs and raw emotion which this set had rammed full. They consolidate sentiment with power, honesty with drama, a mix which means so much to the fans in the room. Many of the songs feel ready for bigger venues, however there was something special about the connection with the songs at Academy 3. Hopefully that will go unchanged as the band continue to grow. 

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Jess Robinson here: 

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