Gaz Brookfield @ The Monarch, Camden - November 8, 2018

I first stumbled across Gaz Brookfield in 2015 when I was looking for a drink after the Faith No More Roundhouse show. He was finishing his set at The Monarch and his instantly singable songs made me want to hear a lot more. He was actually the first person I followed on Twitter so I could hear about future shows near me.

A year and a half later I was in Norwich to go to the Levellers' Levelling the Land Anniversary show. Gaz Brookfield was the first opener so I asked my concert companions if we could try to catch his set. Wrangling several people for a 1/2 hour drive prevented this, and we walked in during Gaz's final song. He did a big splits jump at the end to underline what a good set we must have missed. I did manage to have a quick, awkward chat with him at his merch table, and grabbed a flyer with future dates, still hoping to catch his set one day soon.

Newly moved to Camden borough, of course I wasn't going to miss the next Gaz Brookfield show at The Monarch. I doubly wanted to go after discovering Solo Armada, a group for music loving solo gig-goers who want to support live music and meet up at shows. On their gig listings, I saw a few people were going to be there sporting their buttons. I had a slight second-thought when I got an alert that a ticket became available for Art Brut at Boston Music Room, but I'm glad I stuck with my plan, because it was good to meet some Solo Armada folk and see a really fun, engaging show.

Ben Sydes, aka B-Sydes, was part way through his set when I arrived. There were several laughs about shots being delivered to the stage and stage banter that all three singer-songwriters would continue alone and together through the evening. They were obviously good friends and having a fun night with the audience feeling part of the celebrations. I can't say any of B-Sydes songs particularly grabbed me, and his nasally voice isn't for me, but he did a great job of warming us up and setting a friendly tone.

Next up was Jake Martin, a great showman with some belting singalongs like For Fuck's Sake Jake where the crowd was encouraged to sing back "You're an Asshole" after the lines "I'm a King Without a Castle / You're my Queen. I'm an Asshole" and cooperated with gusto. He later joined Gaz Brookfield for a couple of songs that they've written together for their Aged Revolt album, a collaboration where they cover each other's songs.

There wasn't much of a pause and Gaz soon jumped into action with a short but energetic and feel-good set. We got a few songs from each of his albums and most of the crowd sung along enthusiastically. Brookfield is a warm and funny performer, happy to share jokes and go with the flow through any surprises or glitches.

Finally seeing a full Gaz Brookfield set has only reinforced my liking for his music. His songwriting is sincere and original. His guitar playing is clean and upbeat in the best indie folk  tradition and I really enjoy his gravelly voice. He's a well-seasoned performer and delivers a fun night out. Pretty damn good value for a mere £6.

Most songs were introduced with a bit of banter and before he sung Aged Revolt he shared a story about the origins of the name. Apparently, he and Jake wanted to write an album called the Travelodge Diaries and when he contacted Travelodge corporate for permission to use their name, they declined. So into an anagram generator went "Travelodge" and the album and tour had a name, and a fitting one he's mused, sharing that (despite his boyish looks) he is almost 40.

The final song of the night, the new Great Minds Drink Alike, saw Jake and Gaz off the stage in the middle of the crowd singing among us. I shot most of it on video if you care to have a look.


Setlist:
Solo Acoustic Guy
The Diabetes Blues
The March of Progress
The Tale of Gunner Haines
Under the Table
It's All So Rock and Roll
Godless Man
I've Paid My Money
Aged Revolt
Be the Bigger Man
Thin
Encore:
Great Minds Drink Alike