The Brook & The Bluff Bring Werewolf To Nashville

Fresh off the release of their fourth studio album, Werewolf, The Brook & the Bluff seem to be on top of the world. Their last stop in Music City, sans a tiny album release pop-up at The Basement in March, was a massive show at Ascend Amphitheater with Rainbow Kitten Surprise that saw the band draw in swarms of new fans, something that was clearly evident at their return. Hailing from Birmingham and based in Nashville, this show was the first of two hometown shows, so fans were more than eager to pack the room out.

Kicking off the night with “Werewolf,” the title track and opener from their new album, the band immediately leans into the groovier side of their sound. Werewolf saw the band pivot, embracing the indie rock and alternative scenes they’ve come to find surround them. “Werewolf” embodies this, with frontman Joseph Settine feeling more energetic vocally, eager and ready. Its fast paced, with the pace set by lead guitarist Alec Bolton’s driving chug. The best shows, in my opinion, start with a punchy intro, something that immediately makes the band be felt. “Werewolf” was just that.

Keeping pace, the band effortlessly moved into “Super Bowl Sunday,” the lead single from Werewolf. While its intro may have felt more mellow, “Super Bowl Sunday” quickly gets rolling downhill as John Canada leads the charge on percussion. For The Brook & The Bluff, it’s bombastic. While the band has never fully disavowed arena-ready sounds, they’ve certainly skirted away with past releases. Here, however, the band has taken on a new shape, “Super Bowl Sunday” is an instant grab, it feels larger than life, ready for that next step. Settine, not one to shy away, quickly launches into the chorus, a rowdy, rambunctious number that lights the crowd up. At this point, any nerves the band may have had left have fully vanished. This is a well-oiled machine doing what it does best.

For fans of The Brook & The Bluff’s older sound, don’t you worry a single little hair on your head. The band was quite to shift gears back into some older material with “Off The Lawn,” a soft, easy listening folk-rock tune from the band’s debut LP. It expertly highlights the band’s top-notch vocal harmonies; it is warm, inviting, and downright catchy. The band has no problem drawing listeners in here, allowing for a moment of intimacy after the fast-paced start to the night. The light and airy bass guitar let fans get into the groove, with the whole room slowly getting enwrapped in a sidestep. It’s a fun moment that really shows how much sway good music can have over a crowd.

Setlist

1. Werewolf

2. Super Bowl Sunday

3. Off The Lawn

4. Shelby

5. Can’t Figure It Out

6. Midnight Rider (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

7. I’ll Have It Down

8. Calling Cards

9. Everything Is Just a Mess

10. Change My Mind

11. Get By

12. Normal Things

13. Rush

14. Misnomer

15. Gone For The Weekend

16. Halfway Up

17. 105

18. Baby Blue

19. Doobie Bronson

The Brook & The Bluff still have a ton of gas left in the tank for this tour, with stops in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more still left on the horizon. At the time of writing, they’re gearing up for a hometown show in Birmingham, Alabama at the biggest venue of their headline run. You can find all of The Brook & The Bluff’s upcoming dates here.

Mar 27 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company*

Mar 28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*

Mar 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer*

Apr 3 – New York, NY – Webster Hall*

Apr 4 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live*

Apr 6 – Toronto, ON – The Horseshoe Tavern^

Apr 8 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall^

Apr 9 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue^

Apr 10 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues^

Apr 11 – Saint Pail, MN – Amsterdam Bar and Hall^

Apr 13 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman^

Apr 14 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Jones Assembly^

Apr 16 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theatre^

Apr 17 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory^

Apr 18 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn^

Apr 21 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren^

Apr 23 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park^

Apr 24 – Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether^

Apr 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore^

Apr 27 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom^

Apr 28 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre^

Apr 29 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox^

May 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell^

May 3 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre^

Aug 1 – Saint Charles, IA – Hinterland Music Festival

Nov 11-15 – Moon River at Sea Cruise

* with Cassandra Coleman

^ with Ethan Tasch

The Brook & The Bluff are one of the most fun bands in the space right now. Nashville’s mid-2010’s indie rock boom may have come and gone, but this band continues to reinvent themselves and expand on what works. I suspect Werewolf may just be the start of something greater for the band. Right now we’re seeing The Brook & The Bluff’s contemporaries Flipturn, Colony House, and Mt. Joy all reach new peaks, so I’d wager their moment is not far behind. Get on board early.

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