Brother and Bones, The 100 Club, gig review: Devastatingly powerful

Returning after a rare hiatus from almost perpetual touring, the band are leaning away from their previous acoustic sound

Brother and Bones perform in London (Matt Holloway)

Despite the fact that Brother and Bones seem more comfortable on stage than they do off it; the opener to their first of three gigs at the 100 Club is fairly nerve-wracked. This is a return after a rare hiatus from almost perpetual touring, as they laid down tracks for their debut LP.

Bad PA, fixed lighting and an awkward venue make it difficult to create much of an atmosphere, but the drummers give a valiant effort, leading the volleys of thunderous, textured sounds. James Willard is a demon on lead guitar, thrashing out blues-heavy licks with ferocious energy, while Rich Thomas' voice veers from hushed notes at the beginning of “Follow Me Down” and up to a devastatingly powerful roar at the chorus.

From strong convictions of what Brother and Bones want their band to be, they've now reached something of an impasse. They're leaning tentatively away from acoustic and towards heavier rock on the likes of “I See Red” and “Kerosene”: testosterone-fuelled, head-banging juggernauts that herald the translation of their live sound to the recording studio. As rock begins to push and shove its way into the charts again, it seems right that they take the leap.