REVIEW: Brutus, Superbloom at Brooklyn Made | 09.17.2024
Brutus are back in the United States for a string of shows that kicked off in Baltimore a couple weeks back.. The tour hit New York’s Brooklyn Made last Tuesday with local grunge quartet Superbloom on hand to support.
Music recommendations come with challenges when you’re a metalhead. Often times it has to be in the form of a sales pitch; you try your best to sell your non-metalhead friend the idea that maybe the song will be the one that makes them like metal (it won't). For Brutus, a band who aren't metal per se but do have elements of metal, the conversation is much simpler: "if you have ears that can hear, you'll love this band."
In my experience, it is impossible to listen to Brutus without feeling the overflowing passion and intensity in their songs. It is impossible to listen to Brutus without immediately wanting to hear their music again and again and again. The same can be said for seeing them perform.
And with that, let’s dive in.
SUPERBLOOM
First up was Superbloom and man were they awesome. Their name sounds like a band you swore you'd heard of in the 90s, and their music sounds like songs you swore you’d heard in the 90's you just can’t put your finger on it. Such is a testament to the nature of their grunge sound: it is clearly influenced but not derivative. They've taken elements of a variety of sonic chapters in the 90s/2000s story of rock and blended them together to create their own.
Unfortunately for my psyche, the band noted in an interview that from an age perspective grunge was "classic rock" to them. While that hurts my soul a bit (wasn't 1994 like 10 years ago?), if that be the case and Gen Z is discovering and uplifting the music I grew up with, then maybe the kids these days are alright.
BRUTUS
Brutus opened their set with the goosebumps-inducing single "War"; the very same track that led me to discover their music years back (do yourself a favor and watch their performance of the song at Rain City).
When the band released their newest album Unison Life at the end of 2022, I listened to it incessantly. Unison Life is the kind of album you can't help but listen to front-to-back every time you put it on; it's fantastic from start to finish. Brutus put the record front and center during their performance and devoted more than half of their setlist to it, playing songs like "Storm" and the heart wrenching "What Have We Done."
Brutus put every ounce of themselves into their performance from the first note to the final bow. The passion was palpable; you could feel every one of the songs they played to your core. Brutus ended with "Sugar Dragon," a perfect album closer turned perfect set closer that brought the crowd down from their collective highs into a state of bliss as they cheered the band for what they'd witnessed.
Brutus will continue their headlining tour this week before joining Architects' tour next week as support. For the most up to date details on tour dates and tickets, check out their website!