Turin Brakes are a British band which are underrated and not talked about often enough, in my humble opinion. And I mean this not as any slight to the band, because if you know them and like them of course, you are totally appreciative. And some may say, rather in awe.  

And if that’s the case you’re probably in your 40s like me, because their most famous hits including “Underdog (Save Me – 2001)” and “Pain Killer (Summer Rain - 2003)” among others date from the early noughties when bands and musicians were putting together well-formed songs and adding in lyrical potency so their songs were taken beyond the dance floor or guitar ‘bangers’ and offered up some thoughtful commentary on situations we all experience as well as the times.

And this is how I found myself enjoying them, at a standing gig at Theatre Severn’s Walker Theatre in Shrewsbury as they played the first date of an extensive, new UK tour. The tour heralds the release of their ninth studio album Wide-Eyed Nowhere. And nine albums is quite a feat. Turin Brakes have sold more than a million records globally and have been around for nearly a quarter of a century.

The South London four-piece comprising lead singer Olly Knights, Gale Paridjanian, Rob Allum, and Eddie Myer recorded this album at Twin Palms - Olly's garden studio - over the summer of 2021. They said they “chose to let time infuse into the music and mature in a way it couldn’t in a pressurised commercial studio setting,” and they told us they were immensely proud of the offering on the night. 

Speaking about the record the band said: “We surprised ourselves with what came out; a sweeter, groovier set of songs in no hurry to be anything but themselves.”

And I found myself watching this gig in the strange and unprecedented time between the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her funeral (which has now well passed). But it was a time of national and personal discombobulation. A time when many of us felt ‘out of sorts,’ sadder than we thought we might be and actually a bit lost. I found myself right where I needed to be watching this gig. I could tell they were nervous, having likely not performed live, or hardly at all, for an extended stretch.

But Olly’s voice, which is distinctive, soulful, clear, and resounding, only grew in confidence, until by the end it was flying and the foursome were giddily hugging deciding what to play as an encore – one can only assume because they hadn’t planned for the first gig to go so well and therefore hadn’t pre-determined if an encore was even required!

Some comedy self-promoting chat was provided by bassist Eddy Myer and I did indeed find myself buying (or persuading my husband) to buy me a T-Shirt to remember this intimate and moving gig by.

Live, this band is as fast-paced and thumping as its lyrics can be almost eerily moving, owing to those oh-so-special vocals and lyrics. I felt there were influences from Moby and Muse and some of the lyrics wrapped themselves around me and talked of things like being anchored at a time of uncertainty.

It was just as if they were speaking of the now. And that’s what makes Turin Brakes, actually perfectly timely. If you get a chance to watch live music in this special theatre setting, take it. More of this please Theatre Severn! And Turin Brakes are continuing a nationwide tour until April 2023 and are well worth catching.

5 Stars

By Catherine Buckley