It was a homecoming for the Lower East Side electro rockers as they made their way up to Hell's Kitchen for a night of fun and fury. The Bravery are on the road to promote their forthcoming third record, Stir the Blood, which hits stores in November. The dapper dressed rockers took the stage and jammed for a little over an hour, right away as singer Sam Endicott started singing I knew there was something off with his voice. Endicott later revealed to the audience that he was suffering from swine flu and was in the hospital all day taking cortisone shots in order to play his hometown. While the band's front man was out of sorts, yet still entertaining, the band themselves were completely on point. You would have had no idea you were at a live concert with how perfect they sounded. The Bravery played songs mostly from their 2004 debut and the catchier tunes from their last record The Sun and the Moon. Songs like "Believe," "Time Won't Let Me Go," and "Every Word From Your Mouth is a Knife in my Ear," had the crowd going crazy. Even a mix of new tracks like "Hatefuck," and "Slow Poison" were gaining a lot of praise, but the biggest applause came from the band's first single "An Honest Mistake." Nothing, not even H1N1 that has the world upside down could stop The Bravery from playing New York and the fans were very appreciative of their great effort.
Opening the show was St. Louis band Living Things and a new act from Virginia, The Dusty's. Living Things, who hit it big in 2005 with the single "Bom Bom Bom," looked like Russel Brand fronting The Ramones but had a great set. Totally engaging the audience and sounded very tight and fun to watch. The Dusty's had it difficult being the odd men out of the bands, but still held their own. A mix of garage and punk, The Dusty's will be an act that will gain attention as they get used to the road more and one to keep an eye out on.
