LIVE REVIEW: THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES With Special Guest Jaron Jay

Opening tonight’s show was Jaron Jay, Melbourne soul/funk singer/guitarist and his band. Jay who from the moment he took to the stage has this aura about him. Was it his sense of fashion or what it the charisma that simply dripped from him as he slid into a forty-minute set of predominantly original songs.

Jay’s influences were simple to see from the word go. James Brown and Prince were the most instant to recognise with a touch of Morris Day to him. Being able to work a building crowd the way he did tonight was a credit to him. Having shared the stage with The Brand New Heavies in Sydney the evening before Jay knew what he wanted from the crowd and did he get it. Melbourne was so responsive and vocal in their participation in his set. Maybe it was the hometown crowd or maybe it was the fact that everyone in attendance was here to have a great time.

Jay has such a great pop sensibility to his songs. There was a magic in these songs that I haven’t heard from an Australian artist since WaWaNee in the late eighties. Sure it borrowed from something old, but this had a fresh new feel. Jay has a mystique to him as I can’t seem to find out much about him other than he released his first solo single in 2021.

In a set that showcased Jay’s back catalogue of singles he threw in a cover of one of my all time favourite songs in “I Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince. Now this was going to be a challenge to even the most talented of performers. By my own personal standards this was going to go one of two ways either it was going to lift him or sink him. I am so completely delighted to say it lifted him to new heights for me.

It’s funny how an artist can bridge the gap of decades and remain something completely new, his energy is infectious and musically he carries himself well. Behind Jay was a band that knew what they were doing, how to deliver a soundtrack to elevate and enable a frontman to shine.

Acid jazz, Funk, Soul whatever you wanted to call it was larger than life in the mid nineties. Regardless of what you were listening to there was something, some what of a gravitational pull to the feel good vibes of this genre of music and at the forefront of this movement and rapid rise to popularity was The Brand New Heavies. The bands third album ‘Brother Sister !’ became a game changer. With the addition of vocals on the bands sophomore album ‘Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol.1’ it gave the band a new voice, accessibility and appeal. Radio and night clubs simply lapped the genre up and that album. I distinctly remember a two year period from 1994-1995 where this genre of music ruled the world.

Last night The Brand New Heavies transported everyone in attendance at Hamer Hall back thirty years. There was an energy in the room I had not witnessed since they heyday and release of the ‘Brother Sister !’ album. It was a generational dance party, we had all been taken back to a time that was so much fun. In so many ways it wasn’t so much a nostalgia trip, it carried a familiarity back in time. To understand the impact of this era of music you simply had to look around at the audience tonight, you just had to listen to the music, and you were swept up in a wave of good vibes.

From the instrumental intro of the set into “Have A Good Time” the energy began to rise in the room. Founding member and guitarist Simon Bartholomew dressed in sequins, feathers and more bling than a jewellery store redefined flamboyance tonight. The smile on his face was infectious so too were the music treats we were being served. To stage left we had Barthomomew’s career partner in crime Andrew Levy on bass. Again larger than life in appearance Levy simply laid down the groove to get this party started.

Hamer Hall has a history of being quite a controlled environment where remaining seated was a prerequisite. Those rules went out the window as by the middle of the second song Hamer hall had erupted into a feel good dance in the aisle party. By default you really didn’t have a choice but to get up and dance, sing, clap and just let loose. In all the shows I have seen and witnessed here I have never experienced anything like this. What a rush it was too. Seeing so many just let go and enjoy what was happening in the room tonight just drew you in. I found myself grooving along to the soundtrack, watching the sheer joy on the faces of all in attendance, it was infectious in all the right ways.

Getting back to the music ‘Dream On Dreamer’ brought back the initial joy I experienced from the first time hearing it on CD. Vocalist Angela Ricci is elegant and somewhat understated in her simplistic but elegant dress, what commands your attention is her presence and her voice. Good lord the songs from ‘Brother Sister!’ have never sounded so good. There is a vibrance and boldness in the way she performs. The further we progress through the album’s tracks the more evident it is that the band has found their perfect voice.

The band itself is so slick, it’s evident that there is a musical chemistry in this band from the way that the rhythm section frolic and lock into each other, there are just so many cool grooves. The funk is so vibrant and the urge to dance and move is infectious.

There is a master’s level of musicianship on display tonight as we glide through the album being celebrated, those tracks interluded with instrumentals and the foundations of what started The Brand New Heavies almost a decade before they achieved their global success. The formula and vision were strong even in these early tracks. It’s great when artists truly do deep dive.

The encore tonight was a trip back the beginning with “Stay This Way” and “Dream Come True” from the debut album and ‘You Are The Universe” from 1997’s album ‘Shelter’. What a journey tonight has been, and what a response the band received. Production wise the sound was immaculate, the lighting truly set the tone as the show progressed. Tonight, it was all about lights, things that sparkle and create that perfect vibe, the music a soundscape that was nothing but good times.

Thirty years may seem like a lifetime or at least half a lifetime to many but here we all were united in the spirit of music, we let it take us over and just have a great time. This is the power of music, this is the power of how it unites us as one regardless of lifestyle. Time means nothing in the scheme of things, coming back to the sounds that have stayed with you is always such a special feeling. To travel back thirty years over the course of a near two hour show is surreal.

Seeing so many dressed up in sequined jackets, skirts and shirts, there was a glitz and glamour about everything tonight. It was a celebration of music and memories.

To say that this band still has it in spades is an understatement. Flamboyant, dynamic, energetic and full of funky grooviness, The Brand New Heavies are a must to see. Perth you are in for a real treat so don’t be shy to get out, put your dancing shoes on and have a night to remember.

Setlist: Intro, Have A Good Time*, Dream On Dreamer*, Midnight At The Oasis*, Back To Love*, Ten Ton Lake*, Mind Trips*, People Giving Love*, Keep Together*, Never Stop, Snake Hips*, Fake*, Brother Sister*, Spend Some Time*, World Keeps Spinning*, Forever*, Day Break*