The Bravery and Boy Kill Boy – Islington Academy 1st December 2005
December 5th, 2005
Although many say The Bravery have had their 15 minutes and now it’s time to go – the fact they played Brixton Academy on the Monday prior to this gig to nearly 5’000 people disagrees with this statement, I do too but more on that later.
Support comes from the hotly tipped London four piece Boy Kill Boy and as soon as they step on the stage it’s obvious to see why they are so highly fancied for 2006.
With a lead singer who looks like Ray Davies, a keyboard player who plays it like he’s a second guitarist and with a bag load of swarming anthemic indie pop which visits the finest moments of The Smiths, Supergrass and The Killers, Boy Kill Boy’s set already sounds fully formed and brilliant, only death will stop them!
Genuinely glad to be on the stage, this is reciprocated by the audience who are also genuinely glad that they are on there.
So to The Bravery who must be bemused at the difference in size from the start of the week to the end, they prowl across the stage like their lives (or credibility) depended on it. Despite only having released one album, the set sounds like a greatest hits set and live they lose the sometimes annoying pop sheen of the album, ‘Fearless’ had the walls shaking, ‘Tyrant’ was a genuine classic slowly and ‘Honest mistake’ which obviously got the biggest cheer of the night ended sounding like Rage against the Machine. They also dropped a couple of newies which showed a more mature, spiky way of doing things
Despite loads of technical difficulties mainly with the Dirt’s (uhuhu) bass, they pull the gig off with nonchalant cool and a couldn’t care less but really do care loads brilliance.
Where they go from here, what with The Killers dissing them at every opportunity and the Strokes returning is anyone’s guess but tonight they had the entire venue eating out of their hands. 9/10
Chris Todd
On December 19, Lost Highway will release 29, the third new album from Ryan Adams this year. Adams’ first two 2005 releases, Cold Roses (released in May) and Jacksonville City Nights (released in September), received high praise from the press and were considered Adam’s best back-to-back releases as a solo artist. 
Shawn Christensen (Vocals/Guitar) formed stellastarr* with fellow Pratt School Of Art alumni Arthur Kremer (drums) and Amanda Tannen (bass). They became stellastarr* on discovering guitarist Michael Jurin whilst collecting mail. Having been THE band of SXSW 2003 in Texas, stellastarr* went on to become one of the most talked about bands of that year. The band toured worldwide on their own headlining shows and supporting bands such as Iggy And The Stooges, Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The album ‘stellastarr*’ won them plaudits and fans the world over but the experience took its toll “A year and a half of touring left me stifled, and I needed a rest” says Christensen. 
