An Honest Mistake

Last night at Orlando's House of Blues, I expected The Bravery to be fearless, but didn't anticipate much from the two openers. It was an honest mistake. Having seen the band at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg in July, I knew that the two hour drive would be worth it. After this show, it's all large venues in support of Depeche Mode, including a tour of Europe, so hope you didn't miss it.

By now you are wondering, what did The Bravery not deliver? On the contrary, they did very well but I missed the novice performers that I saw this summer. I liked July's wonderful cover of U2's, "An Cat Dubh", the smaller stage, and the raw innocence that may have been replaced by facial hair and better equipment.

An evolving band, The Bravery tried out two new songs on a supportive crowd, but as I scanned the audience I couldn't find the adoration for "Old Glory" or the other attempt. I missed the in-your-face keyboards and sonic layers of John Conway on these two pieces. The group records on the road with laptop mixing, so they are probably laying these down. Hope they throw in some hooks to keep their run going, because I want more.

The experience was over-the-top thanks to a couple of SummerBirds and some New Roman Times. These Orlando bands put on a great show. New Roman Times were a pleasant surprise and would be worth catching again. I must admit that SummerBirds in the Cellar and of course The Bravery pushed the songs from the Times right out of my head. If not for the SummerBirds' two drummers - yeah you read that right - great synths and tight arrangements - I would have retained more from the Times.

Even Sam Endicott, lead singer of The Bravery had to admit his appreciation of these two local groups, and in reference to the SummerBirds, acknowledged fondly that they were loud. He laughed, looked over at his drummer and said, "when are we going to get another drummer? A second one I mean." Not just loud, but good! I was extremely impressed with the sonic masterpiece that was painted before our very eyes. I want to hear more, and ordered their debut CD, "With the Hands of the Hunter it all Becomes Dead" at 2:17 this morning after the show. New Roman Times' CD, "International Affairs" is available on ITunes. "The Going Away Gift" is an awesome song. I'll be listening to them also.

If you're visiting Orlando, know that House of Blues is a great venue. Get as close as you want to the band, or hang out at casual seating or lean rails. Enjoy a full bar, and you can even get a hotdog, nachos, pizza, pork sandwich, or other easy snacks. It's basically in the land of the Mouse, so security has got it covered and the service is friendly. See you next time.