So good to see live music being promoted and supported in my own neck of the woods. The Blues Bar at Tring now attracts quality live acts twice a month from its new venue on the edge of town. Tonight, a healthy crowd of regulars and first-timers was in to see blues rockers, Brave Rival.

The band hail from the home counties and bring an eclectic mix of powerful blues, hard rock, soul washes and touches of folk. Debut album ‘Life’s Machine’ was released in Summer 2021 and garnered significant praise, not least from that ubiquitous Guardian of the Blues, Joe Bonamassa.

From the off, Ed Clarke’s guitar is loud and proud with the gritty album opener ‘Heart Attack’. But it is the pairing of Chloe Josephine and Lindsay Bonnick on lead vocals that gives the band a point of difference. Stage front, the pair have strong voices that complement each other well, harnessed to a choreographed and exuberant delivery.

‘Secrets’ and ‘Guilty Love’ continue the upbeat show with the vibe swinging somewhere between Roxette, Heart and King King. The rhythm section, particularly on ‘Guilty’ is mesmerising. Donna Peters cracks out a powerful beat and Billy Dedman on bass is cool, understated and masterful. This pairing previously formed the backline to excellent blues rockers Albany Down.

Clarke had already put down a marker for his soloing ability on the early tracks, but comes to the fore on the Etta James cover, ‘Damn Your Eyes’ with a spotlight-extended piece that advertises his touch, passion and technical ability.

There’s a fair bit of rambling chat between Chloe and Lindsay between tracks. It makes the set feel informal, but for my money, impacts on the flow and intensity of the gig. Not that anyone in the venue is complaining and the band work hard to make connections with the punters.

‘Life’s Machine’ is a strong album and this headline show gives the band chance to plunder some of the less immediate cuts. ‘Thin Ice’ and especially ‘Long Time Coming’ are convincing, the latter showcasing how well the voices gel together, despite a touch too much of the Maria Careys on the outro.

We get an acoustic set too, prefaced with a long pre-amble about how the lockdowns influenced the songwriting and we enjoy some good material that hasn’t appeared on the album. Donna swaps the drums for an acoustic guitar alongside Ed and together create an intimate mood for the vocals to shine. This mini-set is closed with a tingling version of ‘The Sound of Silence’.

Highlight of the night is probably the slow blues of ‘Break Me’ where the band stretches out with some juicy riffs and soaring vocals. Clarke again delivers a fiery, accomplished solo. The album title track ‘Life’s Machine’ is belted out with aplomb before the cover of ‘The Letter’ features an extended call-and-response section and a brief audience walk-about by the vocalists.

‘Come Down’ and the excellent, slide-driven ‘What’s Your Name Again’ bring the set to a close. The all seated venue sees a bit of dancing down the front and there’s no doubt the band have hit the spot here in leafy Hertfordshire.

There’s a good buzz about this five-piece right now and there is a lot to like. To take the next step up, Brave Rival will need to tighten up on some of the meandering banter and maybe step back from the high octane vocals every so often so that the great music doesn’t get crowded out. But they are still a new, evolving band and there is plenty to look forward to.

Review by Dave Atkinson

Album review (Life’s Machine, 2022)

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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