Only The Brave Burn The Midnight Oil

Hurrah, at last! Only The Brave is the debut song from Burn The Midnight Oil’s revised lineup; something I’ve been anticipating since watching them rehearse at Devizes’ HK Studios, just before last year’s Awards. But if my expectations of a recording from this new Devizes based phenomenon was perched on the summit of the highest mountain, gaining a sneaky preview before its release on Friday (13th March) far from disappointed, in fact I’m now soaring above clouds….

I know pressing a CD is a financial risk for any upcoming band against bunging it on streaming platforms, but I’d urge them to go for it. In the relatively short time Burn The Midnight Oil have been gigging under this current format, they’ve become the kind of band you’d see live and make haste for their merch stand in hope to return home grasping a piece of what you just experienced. Based on this first of a few singles coming out of Martin Spencer’s Badger Set Studio in Potterne, a compilation album would be a real keepsake.

It’s hasty and gearing, a rich and refreshing design on a timeless formula; the folk-rock-blues combo conveying enduring, moreish and matured pop, with that driving beat, with that irresistible rolling guitar riff, and with the smooth-as-velvet female vocals soothing a biting narrative. Causal listening it’s feelgood, but in depth it’s fighting against the odds and rising above adversities.

It’s the song for the comeback scene of an epic movie. You’re on the edge of your seat, identifying with the character, either relating your own experiences, or more simply distinguishing their plight is their drive, but you cannot sympathise, because like Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor, or Natasha Bedingfield, she’s weaponised it, risen above it regardless, and taken control of her own destiny; Alanis Morissette of Devizes.

Yet the most marvellous thing about Only the Brave is, Chrissy “Steen” Chapman can equally hold the vocal power of any of the aforementioned female big hitters, kick the meaning behind the song into touch, and her backing band accompanies her with such tight precision, it’s something to behold. In essence, it has the perfect combination for the memorable and relevant tune you won’t mind having stuck in your head!

I cannot wait to hear the others, but for now, pre-save this beauty HERE. Find them rootin and tootin their thing live by following them on Facebook, HERE. Attend CapFest as seen below, for their next Devizes show.

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