Wouldn’t it be great if The Killers had more than two great songs? That was the question raised by the Las Vegas band’s recent tour, and New York’s The Bravery provide the answer. Like The Killers, The Bravery are deeply in thrall to British synth-pop of the early ‘80s. Also like The Killers, they’re fame-hungry chancers with immaculate styling and a keen sense of showmanship. However, unlike Brandon Flowers, Sam Endicott is a consistent songwriter who steers clear of nursery-rhyme lyrics. Hence his band are, to coin a soundbite, “the better Killers”; and yes, they’re pretty great. Tonight they prove it.
Considering it’s their biggest show yet, The Bravery take control of this mid-sized venue with astonishing ease. Their stall is set out when Endicott dramatically appears onstage moments before opening track “Unconditional” requires his vocal. “I spend my whole life surrounded,” he intones, “and I spend my whole life alone.” It’s a perfect line, and the flourish with which it’s delivered encapsulates what The Bravery are about. Endicott will later leave the stage before the swaggering new single “An Honest Mistake”, just so he can make another grand entrance. The man is shameless.
The Bravery resemble The Smiths in that they combine anxious, introspective lyrics with a preening, triumphalist stage presence. Sonically, though, their influences lie elsewhere. Bassist Mike H might have borrowed his look from the New Romantics, but his bass-lines originate in the New Order songbook. Sporting perhaps the best haircut in the history of pop music – it’s been described as a “wind-tunnel quiff” – Endicott sings like David Bowie on the high notes and Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy on the low ones. Guitarist Michael Zakarin, meanwhile, has an urgent post-punk playing style, but now and then deviates from it to solo in unexpectedly ‘70s-rock fashion.
It’s clear throughout the set that this is a derivative band, and rock critics will have great fun bandying about soundbites like “the garage-rock Duran Duran” and “Interpol meets A Flock of Seagulls”. But it’s equally unarguable that post-Libertines London has been crying out for finessed, glamorous bands like The Bravery, to distract from the talentless locals who snuck to prominence when DIY rock became fashionable.
The Killers might have discovered this market, but The Bravery can steal it off them. On tonight’s evidence, “Swollen Summer” will be their “Mr Brightside” and “Fearless” their signature tune. Mr Flowers, your thunder has been stolen.
