Breton at Rough Trade East

Making a mark on the music scene with a sound that is truly unique – and incomparable – to stand out from the rest is, for most, an insurmountable task. Wonderfully, bands like Breton do not fall into the “most” category of this poll as their sound, coupled with their euphonious fresh album War Room Stories (just hitting the market), is decidedly a stand-out act.

Their set, a short half-hour of thrumming bass, piercing synth, and delicious gravelly baritone harmonies to say the least, is the perfect amalgam of electronic synthesiser and punchy guitar and bass – not to forget drums so perfectly synchronised with the rest of the band that its easy to forget that this skill is coming from a real human and not a machine built to create the most pleasant sounding music possible.

An electronic hum as the lights darken and the band are into their first number of their set. It’s slow – the good kind – and a harmonious meet-me-halfway of electronic waves and sombre vocals. The first song, met with a generous smatter of applause from the Rough Trade crowd, moves quickly into their second, and the sudden upbeat tempo shunts us from first to second gear, and the stage is alive with movement.

After a switch of instruments, they’re into their third of the night, an effervescent lovechild of math rock and indie, Envy. More emphasis is placed on electric instruments, rather than a predominant reign of synth – although a generous splatter of synthesized consonance is present throughout.

Song four of the night is as spectacular as its predecessors, and the crowd are feeling it as much as the band members are. There’s a hubbub of movement, and after yet another instrument exchange their set coalesces into a head-banging, foot-tapping affair.

The audience are a crescendo of applause, and following a brief thank you from the dashing guitarist turned bassist slash vocalist, their final song 15 mins – regrettably not 15 minutes – is an epic rumble of drums and elongated and echoing electronics and piano. After a thunder of applause after the climax of the evening, the bright-eyed band from London wave and hop off stage.

A perfect equilibrium of electric and acoustic, Breton are an act to catch in the days before their inevitable sold-out arena tours across countries.

Hannah Ross
Photos: Jack Downes

 For further information and future events visit Breton’s website here.

Watch the video for Envy here: