Gig Review: Ben's Brother (Unit 22, Southampton)

Ben’s Brother
Unit 22, Southampton
6th September 2007

It’s not often I take a gamble on an album when I’ve only heard two songs from it but a few weeks ago something told me that Ben’s Brother and their debut album, Beta Male Fairytales was worth a listen. I’m always cautious about downloading loads of tracks from an album in case the previously released singles are just a flash in the pan.

But from the moment I moved on from Rise and Let Me Out onto more “unknown” songs I started to realise that this was a band who were about to hook me.

The incredible and possibly unique thing about music is that it has a quality to relate to each individual in a different way and certain songs will be favourites for many people for completely different sentimental reasons. As I continued to gain more of Beta Male Fairytales, it incredibly lifted me up in a brief down time for me and the lyrics were spot on for the time that I was getting through personally. I can think of nothing else that has that effect on people on such a level and it’s the same for every single person on the planet. Bands will come and go but the albums and songs that come into our lives and we remember will be with us forever.

I may be going off on a tangent here but I just thought I’d set the scene for the gig that I found a couple of weeks ago as Ben’s Brother were advertised to play Unit 22 in Southampton, so naturally I had to be there. I persuaded Jamie and Ti to come along for the ride and I think by the end of it they were equally impressed.

Set in the intimate surroundings that is Unit 22 and as the sun set on Southampton Town Quay we were given a treat right away as support band Dlugokecki warmed up the already sweltering crowd in style. With lead vocalist Ben Dlugokecki providing the humour between songs, his laid back approach shouldn’t be ignored. Dlugokecki eased through a good half hour set full of emotional rock and ballads and really set the tone for the rest of the evening.

After a brief pause, Laura Welsh took to the stage as the second support act. I don’t think the crowd expected anyone else to be supporting as everyone surged to the front after Dlugockecki’s set! But Welsh, although seeming a little nervous, did well and with a bit more confidence and experience could go places in the future.

And so to the reason why most people were at Unit 22 and Ben’s Brother made to the stage and kicked off their superb set with Find Me An Angel. Rolling through their debut album with style including Home, Carry On and God By Another Name the band showed that this type of small venue won’t be on their radar for much longer. Emotional album track Bad Dream was written when singer Jamie Hartman had a harrowing experience as his mother went into a coma after a car crash. Everything was OK in the end but it shows again how music can be a comfort in even the worst times for listeners and performers alike, something I’ve realised my writing is to me as well.

Following the single Rise, the band returned for an encore of I Am Who I Am before a brilliant cover of The Killers’ Read My Mind.

So all in all a quite brilliant evening by the south coast and personally a night that I won’t forget in a hurry. To see a top 20 band that close up is a rare treat but even without the chart success the band would have been top of my lost of bands to see. As I say, they won’t be playing these cheaper venues for too much longer as I’m positive that big things are ahead for Ben’s Brother. So get down to see them if they’re visiting a venue near you during this tour…ironically they’re in Northampton at the Soundhaus this evening!