Music Review: Brave Rival Storm Pizza Express Live Soho, London

The band was pumped as the UK Blues Federation Awards shortlists (of the final five) had been announced and Brave Rival was nominated in the UK Blues Band category, Chloe Josephine in the UK Blues Vocalist of the Year (an all-female shortlist this year!) and Ed Clarke in the UK Blues Instrumentalist of the Year.

The band had just completed the recording of the tracks for their second album, which was greatly helped by a very successful crowdfunding, and the new album should be released this summer.

The set for the enthusiastic crowd who had journeyed in from London & the South East and further afield from Isle of Wight (Lindsey Bonnick’s home) and Stratford-upon-Avon, included both electric and acoustic sections.

The band sings with a passion with their twin vocalists Lindsey and Chloe singing harmonies, backed by the brilliant guitar work from Ed “The Shred” Clarke, backed by the engine room of Billy on bass and Donna on drums (but also acoustic guitar on the acoustic sections).

The songs sung were a mix of already released tracks with a few newer ones from the new album, but the band is deliberately holding back some tracks to surprise their Bravian fans with the new album comes out later this year.

The tracks performed included ‘Ace’, ‘Heart Attack’, ‘Secrets’ which was about a difficult time in Lindsey’s life, then a great Etta James song ‘Damn your Eyes’ with great passionate and soulful vocals from Chloe, ‘Without You’ with Ed’s great guitar playing and then ‘Guilty Love’ and ‘Run and Hide’. They finished with an encore of ‘Come Down’.

Throughout, the lead vocals were shared by Lindsey and Chloe who have distinctive but different vocals, but work well together with great harmonies.