I’ve been a massive fan of The Braymores for nearly a year now, and with me being from Ohio, I did not think I would be able to see them anytime soon without traveling to their home city of Chicago. Thankfully for me and the others in attendance though, the band for some reason decided to kick off their first ever tour in Columbus, Ohio of all places.

The night began similarly to how any other concert experience would, but once I entered the intimate venue with my girlfriend by my side, there was something special brewing in the air. Maybe this is because one of my best friends, Liam Brock, was moments from starting off the night on his acoustic, but I don’t think it can be as easily summed up as that.

Due to the fact this show was taking place only two weeks before Halloween, the whole venue (which was essentially a dive bar that later felt like it turned into a jazz club), was plastered with cobwebs and other holiday adjacent decor. And then just like that, the show began. 

Liam has been in a huge phase of writing and recording new music, and his set was split directly down the middle with tracks that the public has and hasn’t heard before. I know his preference is to play with a full band, but I will never get tired of seeing him capture a crowd with just him and his guitar. 

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Shortly after Brock stepped off the stage, Zach Beaver and his band took his place – delivering one of my favorite sets that I have ever seen from the Akron native. Beaver has seen streaming success in the past that at the time of writing just eclipses two million streams in total, but that doesn’t even begin to paint the picture of who he is as an artist. On top of being one of the most humble and down to Earth people I have ever met, he also is possibly the most musically talented person I know. One night he will be lighting up the stage on the electric guitar, and the next he will be behind the keys delivering one of the most soulful performances that you may ever see at a live show. I’ve seen him play a handful of times now, and this time around, the spirit was moving.

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Thirty minutes and some change later, it was time for The Braymores inaugural tour to begin. For some context before getting into it, they are a band that has seen doses of streaming success on their singles “Like The Others” and “Scenic Drive” respectively, with the latter even landing a placement on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Folk. Outside of that, the algorithm largely hasn’t picked up their music (which I feel is criminal, but something that I’m sure will change in no time).

From the first note that came out of the lead singer's microphone, I knew that this show was going to be better than I even hyped it up to be in my head. (I’ve covered their work on other blogs before, and I am planning to add their music to a few end of the year recaps on my own page, so needless to say I am a huge fan of their work on streaming.)

The Braymores cruised through their set with an aura of confidence and pure joy that you can only get from a band that is at their beginning, and each song felt better than the last. Matt’s vocals are even more unhinged and grungy in the best way in a live environment, Keagan slayed each and every guitar solo with mercenary-like precision, Wyatt set the tone for a beautiful night on bass, and Russell unleashed a stellar drum performance – notably following up on an already great display from Beaver’s drummer, John Roy.

Notable highlights for me were “Past Crimes” because that was my introduction into them, and they also covered an MGMT single along with “Disco” by Surf Curse – both being two of my favorite covers that I have ever been lucky enough to hear. The band is already working at such a high level this early on in their career, and after seeing them live, I have no doubts it will be a truly fruitful journey in the years to come. 

I would highly recommend catching a show for yourself which I’m sure you can find on their socials, and this night was yet another reminder that there is nothing more special as a fan than seeing your favorite acts in an intimate room.

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