Brave Rival at the Tuesday Night Music Club Feb 2024.

Review and photos Ken Jackson

As bands go,I don’t believe there are any better entertainers around than Brave Rival. Their rapport on stage is generated by their friendships off-stage. They bring something to a performance that I have never seen to the extent I do with this band, their harmonies are outstanding, their musicianship is second to none and their songs are beautifully written and played and many are products of their own experiences. Despite all that, and that is, in my opinion why they are rising like cream to the top of the milk, they have a unique talent for making each other and the audience part of their performance.

Brave Rival continues to soar, garnering well-deserved accolades and recognition at every turn. Their talent knows no bounds, evident as they secure three nominations from the UK Blues Federation: Band of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year for Ed Clarke, and Vocalist of the Year for Chloe Josephine. In a field brimming with musical prowess, their exceptional performance last night suggests they will do very well. And the praise doesn’t stop there; Lindsey Bonnick also earned a spot among the final twenty for Vocalist of the Year, alongside Billy Dedman and Donna Peters for Instrumentalist of the Year.

With additional nods for the UK Emerging Act and the UK Acoustic Blues Act, the breadth of acknowledgement speaks volumes about the remarkable talent and charm of these five artists. They played two superb sets last night to a capacity audience at the TNMC and in the short interval between those sets, they just stood chatting and milling around the room instead of taking a well-deserved rest. All the members must have been exhausted, having played Blackpool just a couple of days before to hundreds of people and of course, turning out a superb performance.

Poor Donna last night was suffering but trying hard not to show it, a problem with her eye, brought about by her lifelong struggle with Diabetes was making it difficult for her to perform, the compassion shown by the other members of the band had her smiling again and she powered through the two sets like the trooper she is . I have every confidence that the only place for Brave Rival to go is UP and I feel privileged to have watched them grow since 2019 when we first heard them play.