The Bronze Medal - Live At The Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/10/11.This young band hail from Bristol and are named after a song by Idlewild; the band they cite as their main influence. The Bronze Medal consists of Mike Barnett, Rory O' Gorman, the two primary songwriters; Chris Hiller and Robin Southwell, and newcomer, Dan Rogers. Their sound is a delicious mixture of Snow Patrol-like vocals and the musicality of minial post-rockers, Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky.
The quintet definitely have their own sound though - one mostly dominated by heartfelt, five-part harmonies, for which they insist on a strict vocal warmup and rehearsal before any performance.Their two biggest tracks (which you can purchase on iTunes) are Milk and After You Were Quiet - both masters of the slow-build minimal sound that crashes into atmospheric soundscapes infused with powerful percussion and deeply mesmerising harmonies. Milk features endearing lines such as "You drink your milk to keep your teeth strong", which playfully highlights the band's sincere and unique songwriting capabilities; passionately spurred on by Hiller's time at university studying a Creative Writing course.
The band's professionalism and understanding is astounding, but what really shines through is their ability to work as a band. They play as equals; no one is fighting for the spotlight. Each vocal, each instrumental part ebbs and flows naturally allowing poignant sections to build to the forefront and then smoothly return.
Fresh, delicate and captivating, The Bronze Medal are quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting rock bands in the country.Through their persistent hard work and seemingly effortless talents, after signing up to BBC Introducing - the BBC's scheme to acknowledge new / upcoming aritsts and bands - they made it onto the stages at Reading And Leeds. They're currently at the beginnings of a UK tour and are turning up to sold out venues - much like the gig I saw them at in Brighton. Since their debut single, Milk was released back in June, all the major labels have been circling, and I imagine we'll be hearing a lot more of their sublime sounds in the future.
Tour Dates:
- 23rd October: The Boarderline - London
- 28th October: Esquires - Bedford
- 11th November: Soundhouse Club - Colchester
- 16th November: 02 Academy - Birmingham
- 17th November: Borderline - London
- 18th November: Backline - Guildford
- 23rd November: Cafe Drummonds - Aberdeen
- 24th November: Sneaky Pete's - Edinburgh
- 25th November: Captain's Rest - Glasgow
- 26th November: Plugged Inn - Sunderland
- 27th November: Fibbers - York