The Young Brothers Band

Free Red Stripe! words: Joe Taylor

My associates and I sat in ‘The Talking Heads’, supping gently on the free cans of Red Stripe given to us courtesy of The Red Stripe Awards we were currently attending. While we sat, Southampton’s own The Young Brothers Band took to the stage for their sound check. I was immediately compelled to organize a future interview with the band, if not an immediate one, as I was intrigued and impressed by their uniqueness in both sound and appearance.

Joel Cottrell and the other four members of the band agreed to move on upstairs into the ‘green room’. Into the room went the band, consisting of the aforementioned Cottrell, providing the band with what is in my opinion one of the most unexpected, yet originally brilliant voices that I have come across; Matt Randall, electric/acoustic guitar and vocals; Davey Jones, electric and upright Bass, vocals, and a connoisseur of the Didgeridoo, (played immaculately); Tom House, drums and vocals; and Rhys Harries; lead guitar and harmonica. The Blades crammed into the confines of the green room, a ‘coffee table,’ which consisted of two crates of Red Stripe and began to talk – well, more so The Young Brothers Band did. Almost any interviewer will agree that the archetypal interview, is one in which the interviewee(s) in question simply talk, with limited need for the interviewer to prompt with prepared questions. We began by asking Dave Jones about the elaborate liquid concoction he had in his hand, which was a vibrant yellow colour complete with orange slice on the side of the glass. He informed us that the drink was named the “McDave,” and he was currently in the process of getting the drink available on order at the bar. The band’s local set is often The Talking Heads, so he can now order the drink as his usual - classy. The drink is sometimes accompanied by a sporting pink umbrella - very classy.

After ripping into Dave about the ‘sissyness’ of his drink, the band began to explain the depths of their dynamics, and what the band was about. It was obvious to me that the friendship within the group was a necessity for the band to function. The strong friendship seemed odd to me however, as each member of the band was different, from their ‘Joe Perry’ guitarist, to their ‘Stella Atoirs’ drinking drummer. Their career as a band began in a music shop where they worked. It would therefore be obvious to say that they were drawn together by their shared love of music, whatever the genre. From what I heard in the sound check, it was obvious that the band were exploring some classic sounds from the country genre, with influences such as Richard Thompson. However, it was equally as obvious that the band were combining some of their own musical ideas with the classic sound they so dearly love. The musical interests of each band member would seldom be found in collaboration, and each felt that: “The sound shouldn’t work; but it does.” As more and more Red Stripe was consumed, my memory became ever cloudier of events, but I seem to recall someone mentioning the term ‘doom funk’. Although I’m not sure if the word enters into the nomenclature of the art, it just sounds very cool.

In my experience there are two directions a band can take in terms of dealing with musicality and business. If core elements of said band revolve around identical interests and musical influences, it is likely they will produce a fantastic sound worthy of their idols, while scoring plenty of gigs, and securing their own notoriety along the way. Alas, little room will be left for exploration if no one wishes to venture into something new, due in part to the undying love of their current sound and fear of rejection by venues and fans alike. If foundations of the band are built upon nothing but its own ideas and musical direction, greatness can be achieved, but at a cost. Sometimes a band’s music can lack the understanding and mainstream acceptability of the public ear, critical to success, meaning that the sound rarely gets heard. The Young Brothers Band finds a fascinating combination between these two separate ideals. While they stand their ground when questioned about their inspirations and their current sound, they are more than aware of the corruptive nature of the business, and let it affect them only when necessary. The Southampton music scene was described by the group as, “harsh, but full of potential and talent.” In particular the band placed emphasis on their respect for Southampton bands such as ‘Dead Dead Dead’, a group the Good Blades met at the Southampton Guildhall some months previous, along with ‘Fleeing New York’, the band with the coolest and most original (and ironically accurate) name I think I have ever heard.

As I have already emphasised, the band were using some classic sounds, with recognisable chord sequences and basic time signatures, with the apparent intention of exploring a clean perfected sound, rather than an overly complex busy one. The songs on the whole were very mellow and easy to listen to, while at the same time drew the listener in taking them on a journey. The implications of the lyrics are that of a band that have a lot of experience in their young lives as a band and as individuals. The song ‘Constant Martyr’ for example is a typical example of how a song written with a personal understanding of the lyrics always makes for a better song; it gives the song a greater depth and meaning.

When the memorable interview had concluded, and the amount of Red Stripe in the middle of the room had dramatically diminished, we all toasted the success of the gig, and after a brief chat, The Good Blades staggered downstairs to the bar. Right before The Young Brothers Band took to the stage, we noticed that Joel was standing near our table with a straight Jameson’s whiskey held in his hand. Someone please explain to me how a nice glass of whiskey isn’t the epitome of cool. The Young Brothers Band took to the stage and those lucky enough to be present in The Talking Heads that night fell silent and were drawn nearer the stage to get a better look. Their stage presence was one of subtlety, but was dramatically powerful and most effective. They let the music soar, and gained the crowds attention with little need for them to jump up and down. Each song’s end was greeted with enormous applause from the audience, who spurred the band into producing an outstanding performance worthy of the memory of all that attended.

Once the band had left the stage, we followed them upstairs to congratulate them on one of the best gigs I had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The Talking Heads was hardly packed, and the lighting and stage effects were far from extraordinary, but the quality of the music was enough to make it so. Completely unfazed by the storm of compliments, The Young Brothers Band and The Good Blades had one last beer together before we parted ways. Naturally, in a true Blade fashion… we missed our train. My concluding remarks are that the music industry has become infected with greed and manipulation, and many have completely lost sight of the reason and purpose behind the music they produce; essentially human nature has taken over. The Young Brothers Band is a perfect example of a new generation of clear minded people, simply wanting to connect with an audience, and explore the sounds that they know and love. A definitive must see.