You're just like me. [Live Review and Photos].

It was a drizzly day on the docs. Dry January makes up for itself with the grey skies pouring with rain. The dark nights envelop us. But Brand New Friend add a bit of cheer to the January blues. Songs bursting with colour and energy. In the American Bar, a small venue, everyone is in the mosh pit together. Proud diehards, photographers, even parents.

Bed Manager offer swell pedals and emotional lines. Joking, Sam Green claims: “A lot of people think we got this gig cuz the drummer is Jake’s brother but the real reason is that me and Taylor have been sleeping together...” Their songs send me to sleep (in a good way). Dreamy music that matches the name of the band. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. The eerie synth swells and the notes dissolve into the room. For last song, "These four walls" they invite their drummer to the stage. This gives a sudden upbeats to the set that wakes everyone up from their lull. 

Brand New Friend take to the stage with humble charisma. With Taylor forever gushing, fans crowd-surfing and the songs forever humming through our ears. When he claims, "tonight’s gonna be one of those gig where people in the future will ask if you were there", everyone affirms. However, it is not in vain. The gig will proceed to live up to his claim. Taylor has the ground chanting "Here we f*cking go" before most of the songs, like a football match. He shoots, he scores. 

Brand New Friend have what the NI music scene has been lacking in recent years. Something that General Fiasco, ASIWYFA, had to offer. A community. A certain energy that makes everyone dance and groove together. "I go out of my way to make you feel at home" from their song Medicore At Best, is felt. They do go out of their way to make the fans feel 'at home'. The crowd sings the first verse to Girl. An old song is brought back to life to show how far the band has come, the first time played in over 2 years. It is "The Karma Party”. New songs are also added to the set including "Bear" with the poignant and memorable lyrics, “She’s got the world figured out/she’s my world”. 

Overall, it is a sweaty but sweet night. Full of catchy songs and catching people crowd-surfing. The band walk off stage into the crowd before returning for a three song encore including a new song "Stop the Days", which is promising, and ending with their latest single "I Was An Astronaut". Their set ends with the words "You're just like me" ringing through the crowd. And they're right. We are just like them and they are just like us.

Watch their latest video here: