SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE 'MOVEMENT
THE BROTHERS MOVEMENT @ Psychotic Reaction, CrawdaddyNovember 29, 2008
It's late November, it's freezing out, it's late at night – where else would you be, if you have any sense, only tucked into.. bedlam at club Psychotic Reaction for the launch of the debut single by The Brothers Movement, where a good-sized crowd inside Crawdaddy makes sure it's plenty warm. Suitably named 'warm up' act The Hot Sprockets get the party going, well after midnight, with their brand of goodtime, bluesy rock & roll. Slightly younger looking than they sound, the five-piece are all smiles between songs and are even joined onstage for a song by someone sporting an impressively-sized beard... he looks like he should be in the band. With the shortest delay – it's already past 1am – The Brothers Movement hit the stage. Tonight sees the official launch of "Blind", the first release by the rock & roll act once known as Mainline, give or take a spot of musical chairs with the line-up earlier this year. Less dark, more melodic and better all round now, they start off with the rootsy "March Of The Brothers", harmonica and all. "Is God Dead?" – released on an EP under the Mainline name – follows, but is to be the only track among the band's ten or eleven songs tonight that is really familiar to those who've been to see them before the rebirth. Like with the band before them tonight, all is not perfect from the start on the technical side of things but it's soon fixed and they continue on in good form, feeding off the reaction of the crowd. "Open Arms" is next and is another rocker, even if it ends at the best part of the song, before the slower, more intense "Let It Go" is sandwiched between "Sister" and "Coming Home" – two of their more melodic tracks. "Blind" naturally gets an airing, although for a change, it sounds better on record than it does live, which isn't to say it's bad live here. They go out in style with a blitz of guitars and drums for "Standing Still" running into a version of "Leave Your Body Behind", a track featured on the new single. It's a rousing finish. The band might have been standing relatively still themselves, when the stage doesn't leave much room for movement, not least with a six-piece Brothers Movement up there, but there could be few complaints about the show. Roll on the Brothers Movement movement.
by Old Git
