Black Country, New Road or BCNR to their friends have been making waves since the release of their first debut LP, ‘For the First Time’ which was released back in February 2021, just as the world started re-emerging post pandemic. The album was lauded as ground breaking with its genre defiant experimentation.

The band consists of six London based multi-instrumentalists, for whom the road to notoriety has not exactly been plain sailing. The band lost their former front man Isaac Wood, just shortly after last years ‘Ants from Up There’, was released to much critical acclaim, thus forcing the band to evolve into what it is today – a group of good buddies who have honed their artistry to a T, a band that have stepped away from the usual front person hierarchy and have stepped rather comfortably into turn taking lead vocals and a swapping in and out of instruments that leads an almost theatrical aspect to their performance.

The band play exceptionally well, they play with a sincere modesty that belies their years. They play to a sold-out audience that receives the group on stage with rapturous applause and chants, phones held aloft littering the Fruitmarket with glowing lights. From the opening bars of ‘Up Song’ the group emanates an almost cinematic quality to their unique sound that blends post-punk, jazz and spoken word.

They play a gorgeous set with each song embodying its own unique character, lyrics that create musical landscapes with wit, humour and kitsch social commentary. It’s easy to see comparisons of BCNR being a modern-day Talking Heads. But we also love tracks like ‘Turbines/Pigs’ with pianist and dual accordionist (yup) May Kershaw singing in a devastating beautiful baritone that is hauntingly folky in a similar tone as Joanna Newsome.

Tyler Hyde on bass oozes draconian heartbreak on ‘I Won’t Always Love You’ a glittering ballad of loss, her vocal range a honeyed, expressive and raw with a Bonnie Tyler rasp to it (stripped of course of the hi-NRG disco) there are obvious comparisons to Kate Bush too.

We loved watching Lewis Evans flit between triumphant bouts of saxophone playing and highly spirited fluting. His vocal category leaning more towards that of the spoken word on tracks like ‘The Place Where He Stuck the Knife’.

The band ask for the house lights to be lifted several times much to the amusement of the mainly Gen Z crowd. With no encore forthcoming the band warn the crowd that of the imminent end of the set before playing; ‘Dancers’ which ends the evening on a high note.

With more certainly to come for this constantly evolving, eclectic brethren we pray that the sea’s have settled for BCNR, and they can get back to providing us with the visceral, orchestral experience that leaves the mob smiling as the emerge on to the rain soaked streets of The Merchant City.

Words: Angela Canavan

Pictures: Angela Canavan