J Bravo @ Off The Hook, Bar D-Fusion, Sunday March 4th
There’s something about J Bravo! Something just that little bit extra. Kaiser Chiefs might think that everything is average nowadays; everything is average nowadays maybe apart from J Bravo. Its Off The Hook time again, the first Sunday of the month has rolled around AGAIN, if you haven’t been to it yet or heard of it then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, LIVING UNDER A ROCK? Or just too busy watching crap on TV maybe? Anyway up at Bar D-fusion its suitably chilled and laidback as usual, people chatting, instruments being tuned, PA being checked, drinks being drunk, and K-Sol looking slightly nervous about their upcoming performance which later on leaves people struggling to pick their jaw up from the floor, as their acoustic soul proceeds to pierce peoples hearts.
But there seems to be a certain air of anticipation, which is suitably fulfilled when Mr J Bravo enters the building and walks across the building in what could quite possibly be the biggest coat in the whole wide world….ever. It even puts Marcus-Romelle’s- whose in the audience - equally huge coat to shame. By the way we haven’t even come to his performance yet.
J Bravo seems to be used to opening up shows and leaving a long lasting impression. He was the first act on at last years BYT event at the Faversham, which for me, at least, was memorable and seemingly also for tonight’s co-host Nadine too. J Bravo’s best known track is probably the violin and soul drenched ‘At My Best’ which was on last years BYT CD but can also be found on his site www.myspace.com/easybravo. You might also know J Bravo as part of Invisible Circle Junkyard Tactics particularly on ‘Takin Ova.’ These of course are a few of the different projects that J Bravo has been involved in over the years.
So then too d
escribe J Bravo’s- whose first on tonight also - style is quite difficult to pin down, basically its hip-hop but with elements of consciousness, electro, and experimentalism. But even that description doesn’t sum up J Bravo. But they all crop up across the 3 tracks that J Bravo performs tonight, particularly on track 2 ‘Future’, before ending on the hyper final track, which even gets peoples hands up in the air and warming the room up somewhat. Basically J Bravo has more ideas across 3 tracks than most people do over their entire careers.
Watching J Bravo perform is akin to watching a meteorite land on stage and as J Bravo himself might say explode, there’s just so much energy and enthusiasm as he takes over the whole floor and uses the space like he owns the place. At times he also comes across like Bez (Happy Monday’s famed dancer) except with more rhythm, presence and style.
Not many people have it but it seems that the little bit extra that J Bravo has is star quality which he has in spadefuls. Just watch J Bravo’s star shine.
Ben Bradford.
Find out more about OFF THE HOOK the monthly r n b, soul and hip-hop showcase at www.myspace.com/offthehookentertainment
Find out more about J Bravo at www.myspace.com/easybravo
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