Black Country, New Road – ‘Live At Bush Hall’
In 2019, it didn’t take long for Black Country, New Road, who frequently performed at Brixton’s iconic Windmill venue, to gain music industry attention for their unique take on experimental rock, paired with the sharp and satirical lyricism spoken by their mysterious frontman Isaac Wood.
A string of captivatingly eccentric singles, such as ‘Athens, France’ and ‘Sunglasses’ built enough hype around the band to garner a cult following, even before the release of their debut album, which eventually came in the form of For the First Time, in 2021. However, before they could release their second album, Ants From Up There, Wood left the band. Their sophomore record, released in February 2022, is emotionally devastating, and judging by Wood’s lyrics, it’s no surprise that he decided to take some time away from performing.
With two incredibly solid records under their belt, BC,NR decided to move forward as a six-piece, spending the remainder of 2022 playing new material at gigs and festivals, selling out crowds despite the fact they were playing entirely unheard songs. This is undoubtedly a testament to their strength as musicians and the tightness of their unit, working together to adapt to a new challenge. At the end of 2022, the band sold out three nights at Bush Hall, inviting fans to don fancy dress and listen to them perform what has now become a third album, Live at Bush Hall, also available as a concert film to stream on YouTube.
Without Wood, who imbued the band’s music with driving guitar riffs, sardonic quips and often heart-wrenchingly intense vocal performances, the band have decided to rotate vocal duties between bassist Tyler Hyde, keys player May Kershaw, and saxophonist Lewis Evans. The resulting album is a strange mix of tracks that moves between almost parodic intimations of themselves and truly incredible, affecting pieces.
The band no longer possesses Wood’s magnificent ability to mix humourous observations with painfully astute emotional offerings, which gave them so much appeal in the first place. On early tracks such as ‘Athens, France’, Wood made humorous observations on class and gender, all while communicating personal feelings of anxiety and isolation. Yet, Evans’ attempts, with lyrics such as “on our last night, we watched a film and had a cry”, don’t quite hit the mark. In truth, Evans’ voice sounds more like good karaoke than aptly suited to the intricate instrumentation behind him. His vocal contributions are undoubtedly the album’s weakest and flattest moments, even if they are strangely charming.
Similarly, on the opening track ‘Up Song’, undoubtedly an incredibly catchy cut, it’s hard to decide whether to wince at the band singing in unison, “Look at what we did together/ BC,NR friends forever”, or smile at their bold embrace of cheesiness. Still, the album has many profound moments, such as the standout ‘Turbines/Pigs’, a piano-led piece sung by Kershaw. The soft keys allow her yearning declarations of, “Don’t waste your pearls on me/ I’m only a pig”. The ten-minute track record culminates in a beautifully intense cathartic release akin to Ants From Up There tracks ‘Snowglobes’ and ‘Basketball Shoes’ – although it seems impossible that the band could ever top the final few minutes of the latter.
Luckily, Black Country, New Road never succumbs to tired and uninspired song structures – with every track, you never quite know where it’ll head, subsequently keeping listeners on their toes. After the catharsis of ‘Turbines/Pigs’, Hyde performs another standout ‘Dancers’, which ends with anthemic repetitions of “dancers stand very still on the stage” as keys tinkle and Ellery’s violin wobbles in harmony.
Live at Bush Hall is a promising follow-up to the band’s previous two releases, demonstrating their ability to adapt and expand their creative practice into new realms. Although there are a few duds, BC, NR have still created some excellent additions to their growing oeuvre.
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