Today we have......
It's crazy to think, when I first was introduced to Brand New, I was our eldest daughter's age.
It was early 2000's. Pete and I ran in the same group of friends and we had gone to see the band Finch, live in Manchester.
Brand New were their supporting act. Their melodious and harmonious angst blew us away and from there we were hooked. In all honesty, we probably enjoyed them way more than the headline act. Even with the damage our ribs suffered from being pushed into the front railing in order to get closer to the stage, it was totally worth it.
I was never much of an angry teen and I can probably attribute that to thrashing myself around the dance floor of the "Zoo Bar". As soon as I'd hear the bass line to "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" from the Deja Entendu album, that would be my que to hit the floor and give it everything I had.
This album became the soundtrack to our whole lives. There was just something about it that spoke to our souls. Even now, more than 20 years on, if we have some crap or past trauma to work through, or to just reminisce, Brand New seems to be our go to playlist.
We reference Brand New in our song "Southern Empire" which we'll be recording soon for the upcoming album. We also wrote a song called "Perfect Example", which is heavily influenced by them. We're in two minds as to put it on the album as it's rather different from our other material.
**The Zoo Bar was a dive bar for slight misfits like myself. You'd first enter into the main bar/stage area where there tended to be Ska or Punk playing. There was a distinct smell that is unlike anything I can describe and haven't smelt since but is burnt well into my memory. It could be something to do with the toilets that lacked any doors or whatever was on the floors that your shoes would stick to.
To get to the "Emo" room, you'd have to travel through a skinny little room where they played dance music, if I remember correctly. I never spent more than a few seconds here as I passed through to my desired destination. It seemed strange and scary and not at all fitting with the rest of the place.
Once in the safety of the "Emo" room, I'd take my underage self straight to the bar and grab a couple shots of 80% Stroh, an Austrian Rum that was only the equivalent of $2 per shot. An absolute bargain for someone who was still getting pocket money.
After dancing and singing my little heart out, I'd take my sweaty little self out to the courtyard to cool down, inhale second hand smoke and make the best of friends with perfect strangers. I'd then head back inside to repeat the process all over again and again and again until the lights turned on and the DJ played "Under the Sea" from the Little Mermaid, in the hopes that it would clear everyone out. Those were the days!
It was at the Zoo Bar where Pete and I finally got together, in the middle of a police raid. There were sniffer dogs and lots of half arsed questioning from the police, which we seemed to pass. I'm not sure what they found that night but the Zoo Bar didn't last long after that. Occasionally, some of the old patrons will run a reunion which I'd love to get along to if we ever end up back in the UK.**
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