Brand New are a legendary US band within the alternative rock genre. The New York natives sold out their entire UK and European tours, including a stop off in the Liberties’ own Vicar Street on Tuesday, September 22nd. An emo band in lyrics and melody, their music resonates with those in their early to mid-twenties – as was clear by the crowd, filled with people who were looking for a healthy dose of nostalgia. It’s no easy feat for a band of Brand New’s stature to squeeze all their most popular hits into one night, but by God, did the Long Island quartet try.
After selling out the 1,500 capacity venue in just a few days, the excitement in the room was palpable. The queues began to fill shortly after 7:30pm and the arena was a sweatbox of people who had waited years to see the band. Their last Irish show was in Vicar St, back in 2012.
With the crowd in a stellar mood and the headline act just minutes away, sing songs broke out throughout the audience just before Brand New took to the stage. The screams around the venue reached a crescendo as the lights went down, like what you would see at a One Direction show, displaying just how respected and adored the American band are.
Brand New began their set with their newest track ‘Mene’, which truly kicked off things in unadulterated, pure punk-rock style. Frontman Jesse Lacey’s distinctive voice echoed out throughout the room with each and every individual screaming back the lyrics with a gusto that was nothing short of impressive. The velocity of the audience’s movement was almost as mesmerising as that of the band’s performance, men and women alike kicking things off with mosh pits and crowd surfing from the get go.
The band powered through some of their most iconic hits such as ‘Sic Transit Gloria’, ‘Okay I Believe You, but My Tommy Gun Don’t’, and ‘Seventy Times 7’. Those songs got the crowd screaming the lyrics of their youth with their arms around each other in what was a truly memorable scene. The band then slowed things down with ‘Degausser’ and ‘Luca’. Every individual packed into Vicar St was fascinated by the movement of Lacey and his band, made up of guitarist Vincent Accardi, drummer Brian Lane and bassist Garrett Tierney.
Brand New signed off with an encore of two of their biggest hits, ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Sowing Season’ from their bestselling album ‘The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me’. The Americans have secured their legendary status, proving that even after five years out of the game, they still have the same pull and attraction that they had with their debut release ‘Your Favorite Weapon’, 14 years ago.
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