review of The Ex and Brass Unbound

On approaching the stage i couldn’t help but gawp at the frenetic hoard of overweight men which lay infront of me. Each face had a distant smile, frozen stiff against an otherwise dumfounded canvas. It wasn’t hard to tell that the whole crowd were overcome with excitement, standing and staring without regard for the others besides them. Yet i was desperately looking around me because i couldn't help but feel in an entirely different way. You see what was turning over in my head was the fear that maybe this collaboration between The Ex and Brass Unbound wasn’t really going to sound amazing at all and in actual fact was going to be more of an egotistical venture into dross pretentious experimentation.

The taut, well constructed performance which started was a pleasant surprise to me. It was actually rather hard to tell that this was one of the first live shows that the two groups had performed together. The guitars steamed on ahead, pumped full of unspent rage and their ferocity held together by a meticulous rhythm section. In-fact the drums rarely altered from their designated course though within this stasis they seemed to be forever changing, keeping the sound fresh and expansive. The whole set was held together by this dichotomy and seemed to be sitting on the edge of a rapturous explosion. The beginning of the set was a spectacle which bubbled above the crowds head, it was a thick atmosphere which oozed from off of the walls and it's intensity threatened to heap into puddles around our feet. In times of pure inspiration The Ex and Brass Unbound managed to unleash a wavering sound layered deep with brass and guitar. An awkward grind would reach a cathartic climax and each player pranced about the stage bellowing with emotion.

Unfortunately these times were far to few. Instead of the release of free musical expression the crowd were treated to an overly rehearsed performance where the brass section would follow the rhythms already set out by the guitars. Becasue of this the whole set after a while became rather drab, a little timid and without the outburst of free jazz the buildup sequences became dull songs within themselves. Of course there was some quality solo work, in particular an impressive part of saxophone which squeeled and thrusted through but this was never integrated into the performance itself. It was played out of duty rather than feeling. I did enjoy the set and though i thought it was a polished, impressive collaboration i couldnt help but leave thinking that in another years time it would be alot more accomplished.