One of the most hotly anticipated slots of the weekend for #TEAMw21 was to finally see Brooke Law fronting a band. Having only previously seen in her a short solo set this was going to be a thing to savour. It was not something that came about easily though - a last minute withdrawal of her regular band meant that this band had to be assembled at next to no notice while the weather forecast was suggesting conditions better suited for ark building than performing.
Some things though are meant to be - the stop gap band were assembled to do a remarkable job, and the previouly unceasing rain stopped just prior to Brooke taking to the stage in one of the weekends more spectacular outfits.
As the band launched into the opening song "Millionaires", Brooke took to holding the mic in her hand, dancing her own little dance and with the front stage full of photographers falling over themselves to get the best shot - she simply looked every inch a star.
The riffing intro to "Talk To Me" saw Brooke break out into a pogo, sending her hair in all directions in a perpetual blur, This was music that needed to be on a big stage and once under the spotlight Brooke seemed to grow in stature and simply exuded confidence.
Having had no time to rehearse "We All Need Saving" saw the band dispatched to the wings leaving Brooke to play guitar and sing solo. It gave those who had not seen her before, a glimpse at the key weapon in her armoury - her extraordinary voice. The opening verses calm and restrained, while the chorus saw a blisteringly passionate and heartfelt.
"It's all right - to not be fine
Cos were' all waiting I'm just saying"
This was brim full of emotion and something of a tour de force without doubt.
The band returned for "Bad Tattoo" its driving bass intro giving way to something of a new wave vibe.
If we were being ultra picky then the Alanis Morissette cover of "Ironic" perhaps didn't work out quite as well as expected, but given the events leading up to the show it would be churlish to complain. Brooke was certainly able to channel her inner Alanis however the guitar work lacked a little of the sublety and finesse required - it probably only stood out because of the high quality of the material surrounding it.
"Boomerang" came in with a lovely new wave style intro, with Brooke later owning the vocals using the repeated "I give and I give"s to wratchet up the intensity before the chorus ramped it up to yet another level. The band given free reign to rock drifted off into U2 / PIxies territory and it was undoubtedly an unqualified sucess
The final song saw Brooke sing a capella for the first verse then having just a drum beat for company on the second, before the full band joined in for the rest of "Freak On".
A quality set delivered in difficult circumstances - this was an undoubted star in the making!
