Braids - The Prince Albert, Brighton - 11th July 2011 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Written by Emma Newlyn
Canadian band Braids describe themselves as ‘textural, groove based, aggressive pop’ and have already attracted a lot of well–deserved attention in their short time in the limelight. The four piece have been voted ‘band of the week’, and ‘band to watch out for’ in multiple respectable online and physical magazines, as well as receiving very positive reviews from the likes of the Guardian and the New York Times.
The band who apparently "lost out to a Red Hot Chilis cover band in high school" had absolutely no problem packing out the Prince Albert in Brighton on a Monday night in July, bringing with them fellow Canadian band Friendo as support, and local Brighton band Cold Puma.
Having first seen Braids at the Great Escape (twice in one day!) it is evident that they definitely have the rare ability to make the audience shut up and listen to their beautiful swirling, ambient yet powerful songs.
Braid’s epic and sometimes nine-minute tracks are intricate and deep, with every member proving themselves to be an incredibly talented musician; there isn’t one aspect of their performance which isn’t impressive. Lead vocalist and guitarist Raphaelle Standell-Preston has an intriguing and vulnerable voice when she chooses to, while instantly being able to switch to experimenting with powerful vocals, which will sometimes catch you by surprise. While the parts are so well timed that it seems as though everything could collapse with one wrong move, the band seem to play with such ease, and drummer Austin Tufts says “Playing all the parts live isn’t difficult because we know them so well”, and so they should, as each song apparently takes months to create.
As Braids take to the stage after their pre-show gathering in the hallway, they possess no arrogance or bad attitude at all; admirable qualities which make them even more lovable. Members of the band are so expressive with their performance, obviously pouring heart and soul in to every note played, that it’s difficult not to get completely drawn in to their music. There are no gaps between songs live, no awkward promotional pleads, no gags and no introduction to any of their songs, which makes for a set sounding like one beautiful long jam of songs.
The only aspect which might draw anyone out of their Braids trance is when the band speak to the sound man part way through; they seem to know exactly the sort of sound set up they need on stage, and won’t settle for anything below par. This is understandable though, since they are able to produce an almost identical sound live to that of their self produced debut album ‘Native Speaker’. Infinite layers of beeping, lo fi, ambient and sweeping sounds are so intricately imagined and woven together – it’s amazing that the band never once make a mistake.
In agreement with almost every other article I’ve read about Braids, I must say that they’re definitely a band worth checking out and making the effort to see live before they get a lot bigger – which they almost definitely will.
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The band who apparently "lost out to a Red Hot Chilis cover band in high school" had absolutely no problem packing out the Prince Albert in Brighton on a Monday night in July, bringing with them fellow Canadian band Friendo as support, and local Brighton band Cold Puma. 
