For nearly eight years, John Bramwell has been touring solo, separate from his ex-I Am Kloot bandmates. Kloot boasts an extensive and celebrated discography, which Bramwell has expertly drawn upon with his newly formed Full Harmonic Convergence group; his inaugural solo album, Leave Alone the Empty Spaces, makes only a fleeting appearance in the setlists.
His forthcoming 2024 project, The Light Fantastic, has revolutionized everything. It is a splendid, harmonious, and lyrically rich work that seems to have revitalized Bramwell’s faith in crafting music reminiscent of the style that once earned Kloot a Mercury Prize nomination. This new album has completely transformed the framework of Bramwell’s live performances; they now center on his solo endeavors, with the better-known Kloot hits serving as a connective thread rather than the focal point.
Each band member showcases a variety of instruments, while Bramwell is limited to just two guitars—three, he concedes, would confuse him—leading him to frequently pause to retune his equipment. Nonetheless, there was no interruption in the performance; Bramwell proves to be as captivating a storyteller as he is an accomplished musician and lyricist.
The song Meet Me at the Station was introduced with a somewhat unconvincing tale about how Bramwell’s dog transmitted the lyrics to him while they were at Crewe train station, infusing the moment with both a touch of humor and admiration for the sound engineer, whose exceptional work ensured the evening’s sound clarity.
Beginning the set with five solo pieces, including four tracks from Light Fantastic followed by 86 TV’s, which marked the first incorporation of Kloot’s music, illustrates the strength of his new album and the artist’s confidence. While there is ample opportunity for the crowd-pleasing classics like The Same Deep Water as Me, Northern Skies, and To the Brink—each always sure to resonate—this night was intended to highlight newer gems, with Here it Comes and Sky Full of Thunder and Lightning emerging as remarkable mid-set features.
The performance of Because resonated so deeply that it elicited an awed, hushed reaction from the front row of the seated audience, epitomizing a collective synergy among five musicians at the pinnacle of their craft.
As expected, the nearly two-hour set concluded with three Kloot tracks. There was no encore, simply because the limited space on stage made reentry cumbersome, and Bramwell preferred not to ‘stand in a dark corridor, wasting time,’ thus the band transitioned directly into Proof, wrapping up a set rich with confidence, self-assurance, and a reinvigorated frontman.
