Aside from the weather, circumstances seem to be conspiring against the Londoners. To the south of the city Rangers are playing a crucial Champions League tie, and a good chunk of the population are either at the game or glued to their television sets. Worse still the band are playing the ABC, the newest venue in the city. A former cinema, it holds 1000 people comfortably but without any sense of intimacy. The high ceilings and minimalist décor give an impression of a cavernous space, which sees it vie with the SECC as the worst venue in Glasgow.  

As a result, the Brakes start the UK leg of their tour in support of third album JackInABox in front of a muted crowd who have nowhere near filled the venue. Maybe this doesn’t register though as they open by ripping through an obscure b-side with gusto. While it’s received fairly well, you feel that the audience somehow expect more. JackInABox is a decent record, lighter and perhaps more accessible than its predecessors The Optimist LP and Ether Song, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of either. It’s strange then that despite the muted start, the band don’t play to the strengths of the record early, choosing to play slightly weaker songs such as ‘Buildings Wrap Around Me’ instead. 

Things finally take an upturn around halfway into the set, with the stronger songs from album rolled out including a brilliant, upbeat ‘Asleep With The Fireflies’, the chorus of which has the crowd bellowing along dementedly, and a version of ‘They Can’t Buy The Sunshine’ which defies you not to do the same. Augmented mainly with tracks from The Optimist, in particular a sublime ‘Underdog’, they begin to win the crowd over. Even then though, they criminally ignore their best record Ether Song and while both ‘Long Distance’ and ‘Pain Killer’ from that album are trotted out, you almost feel that it’s resented.

It’s a touch harsh on the band to criticise their performance, given that they play in a venue which seems to swallow sound. Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian both have fantastic voices which complement each other beautifully and they’re backed by a band who have clearly been playing together for a good while. Overall though the effect is lost through the venue and the set list doesn’t do them any favours either. Not a bad gig by any means, but they’ve been better. 

(3/5)

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