Gig Review: Bronwynne Brent - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Tuesday 25th April 2023

 

www.bronwynnebrent.com

Something ignited this gig tonight. It could have been the tequila; it may have been a post-break renewal of an improvised trio; there is also a case for the back-to-playing of two exceptional songs in 'Don't Tell Your Secrets to the Wind' and 'Dark Highway' just before the break. Whatever the spark, Bronwynne Brent ended the evening racing down Highway 61 with nothing to stop her before hitting the Gulf of Mexico. Tonight it was more A435 than HWY61 with the break being the M42, but she started the evening in the capable driving hands of one home-based musician and ended it in two. 

The original plan was for the Bronwynne Brent Trio to re-unite and return to UK venues last played in March 2020 when we all know how that tour ended. Circumstance had trimmed the format down to a duo, but when that sidekick is highly acclaimed Scottish-based Brazilian musician Mario Caribe you sensed safe hands was the order of the day. He brought his beaten up sturdy double bass to keep time, an improvised foot percussion to give some remnant of a trio and a skeletal guitar that appeared once for a Brazilian duet where Portuguese vocals nestled alongside the deepest Mississippi drawl you could wish to find in Birmingham tonight. 

The voice that summons up the spirit of mid-twentieth century radio waves connecting with transistors from Louisiana to Tennessee is really quite something else. The word cinematic was suggested at the break to really nail the association. The foreground would have to be noir or gothic or rural, but definitely southern. There were occasions during the first half where things did get a little fidgety on stage. A few snags, but this is real with no takes. It also highlights the slickness that flowed once a couple of tequilas were downed. There's the likely answer to the question. If the reception on the old AM dial was flickering in and out during the first half, immaculate tuning was immovable once the sweet spot was found. 

Bronwynne Brent brought the voice, the songs, the spirit and the inspiration. Mario Caribe loaned the craft and the guile. The topping was temporally borrowed for the second half when English guitarist Peet Jackson stepped in from the sidelines to play some impressive likely improvised acoustic licks for the remainder of the show. This added dimension altered the dynamics and there was no more beneficial recipient than a now fully flowing Bronwynne Brent. 

The post-break addition was no random intruder. Peet Jackson opened the show with a thirty-minute set of engaging and hugely enjoyable material. This singer-songwriter hailing from Doncaster showed a flair for writing songs with connective sentiment. The guitar playing was nifty as well. He seeks influence from many quarters and we were even treated to an Irish jig to conclude one tune. Perhaps the moment that sunk the deepest was a new effort that reflected his observational skill of turning an idea into a song. 'The Ghost Ship of Myanmar' will stir many a still waters when it emerges as a recorded entity. You could place the music of Peet Jackson in numerous settings. There was even a faint hint of modern country; a genre he excelled at later when the assembled trio turned their hands to 'Mental Revenge', an old Mel Tillis song finding its way into Waylon Jennings repertoire, and now the Bronwynne Brent Trio.We learnt that this was the third show opening for her on the tour and apart from a few tuning prompts when collaborating, it seemed a lifelong association. 

Tonight was one of those extended evenings broken down into three sets with a couple of breaks. It had gone past eleven when things came to a close and a lengthy three hours since the opening chords were strum. Without putting the first two parts into the shade, it was the final third that defined the show and raised the bar ten-fold on what the memory bank conjured up from last seeing Bronwynne Brent in the dying embers of the old world. She actually commented what has changed over the last three years. From a music fan perspective I'm going to say nothing. So much incredible live music is back. Adaptable and fully firing.

Album releases are not the most prolific aspect of Bronwynne Brent's music career. STARDUST in 2014 was her introduction for many observers this side of the Atlantic and its follow up, and still most recent release, UNDERCOVER surfaced to accompany her on the 2020 trip. Most of the setlist came from those two records including the jazz number 'Lost in the Moonlight' and the Chuck Wills cover 'What You Gonna Do When your Baby Leaves You'. Apart from the two tracks mentioned in the opening paragraph, the other one that really resonated this evening was 'Raincoat'.

The longer the gig went on the more candid she became. Her southern lore interior became a shared experience and you felt in the presence of something exotic. An unusual description of Mississippi, but if you know, you know!. It was possible to hook up with the essence and tempo of the show for casual observers of southern music and Bronwynne Brent is an innate purveyor of the 'show don't tell' mantra. 

For an artist absolutely drenched in country sentiment and influence, a desire to seek a lot more than the defined rural heritage of her homeland sees a far more expansive horizon explored. Definitely more AMA and Folk Alliance than CMA. Bronwynne Brent brings a sprinkle of her 2014 album title to each show. In the right surroundings and with subtle adjustments she flourishes. At the end of this Kitchen Garden show, the summit of her present extent had been reached.