Live Review: BRY @ The Garage, London. 21/11/17

To me, the Garage is a perfect underground venue for your rising indie artist. The dark, dingy interior feels like you’re there to see an actual underground artist. But at the same time, the room spreads wide in a way that can make the hall a haven of its own mania. No performance is this better embodied by than the musical stylings of BRY. 

A precursor for what we can expect comes in the form of opener SayWeCanFly, a fresh-faced Canadian who entertained the crowds with his unique brand of delicate, emo music. There’s definitely something impressive about the one man and his guitar mechanism that works for him. His boyish charm, his awkward but endearing stage demeanour, his quirky musical stylings - I can see why he was chosen as the support to Bry.

Bry himself is a very interesting character, if you care to pay attention. After years of grafting through self-made shows and the YouTube route, his quote-unquote “break” came in the form of the sole support slot for the unstoppable Twenty One Pilots on their European tour last year. I like to think  that this platform gave him the opportunity to display is undeniable charisma to a wider audience. However, as Mr O’Reilly begins his set, you’d be forgiven for thinking that he had let the fear of a tenuous future post-TOP get to him. Forget the fact that he’s topless and came out to Christmas music, in November, or their was a flag celebrating his Irish heritage on the mic stand; as he goes through the first couple of songs, it’s obvious he’s too in his head. At this point, the bassist has more energy as he rocks out over the simple bass line. 

However, his charisma and joy finally start to come out during Don’t Go, song three on the setlist. His nerves aren’t completely masked by his unique brand of over-sharing or banter, but at the least the ambient transitions give the show an air of legitimacy. At one point, as he goes on to play new material, he himself jokes about how detrimental it is to play two new songs back, but Miserable and Godsend actually seem to go down very well. Maybe it’s the passion it’s played with, but also it could be the very young fanbase he seemed to attract. I found myself asking why he basically had an emo-alt-rock crowd, complete with Bring Me The Horizon tattoos on All Time Low T-shirts, when Bry’s music isn’t really in that bracket. It’s no secret that the Twenty One Pilots tour probably helped swell his own following. But maybe it’s that Bry comes across as that lost soul type, but witty enough to make you like him, topped off with the awkward, quirky demeanour and side fringe that so many find so accessible. Either way, the energetic fans clearly adore him, with their amazingly rhythmic bouncing up and down; while the show benefits from the adolescent charm and buoyancy. 

But the most magical moment came in the encore. As Bry disappeared from stage and those young fanatics yelled “We want more”, a hubbub and murmur of confusion arose in the crowd. The next sounds that would be heard would the song Adventure Time played by Bry in the middle of the crowd, completely acoustic, on guitar with the audience gently singing along. No pushing, no hysteria, the glow of camera lights illuminating. It was undeniable how special the moment was, as parents who had spent the show at the back bar were singing along by the end of the catchy ballad. Even me, a professional cynic, was completely captivated with this delicate nature of the occasion. 

This performance was a perfect example of a man bringing the heart back to indie, and you’ll be hard pressed not to find it endearing. Bry gave a very nice self contained show, with no ego, which can be rare. It had the passion of a true indie performance and it’s clear, Bry’s music truly comes alive live. 

Setlist:

Care
Don't Get Closer
Don't Go Alone
Everything 
Miserable
Godsend 
Astronauts
Pieces 
Hope You're Listening
Anything 
You're Alright

Adventure Time
Disarm