Concert Review: Brand New

Star-crossed lovers littered the walls groping each other and making out. There was two feet of orange vomit in one of the toilet stalls. Right next to it, 20 minutes before Brand New even took the stage Friday night at The Rave, a young man was staggered over in the apparent pain of either his girlfriend dumping him or having too much to drink. Smoke from cigarettes dominated every corner. The beer was flat.

The Long Island rock quartet released their third album (but first on a major label) The Devil and God Are Raging Inside of Me in November, and it has since done well at college radio, which perhaps accounted for the near-capacity crowd.

Lead singer Jesse Lacey took the stage wearing a furry bunny ears hat and launched into an abbreviated version of "Jude Law and the Semester Abroad" off Your Favorite Weapon which those in attendance completely took over halfway through.

The band continued with a few additional tracks from its debut but soon ditched it, much like the bunny ears.

It became clear that despite the loyal following of its first album, and the great critical review of its latest, sophomore release Deja Entendu remains the group's magnum opus.

What had been a sing-along crowd turned into angry sea of bodies through "Sic Transit Gloria..." The crowd still voiced every word but screamed along to "die young and save yourself," with the passionate angst of being young and having money to burn.

If Deja Entendu remains Brand New's best album, its song "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't" is the centerpiece.

Imagine a poetry reading you really believe in accompanied by your favorite rock band - it hits on every emotional and sonic level. The fans couldn't have been happier to shout out, "The tongue's the only muscle on my body that works harder than my heart," along with Lacey. It was group therapy for the chronically love-struck.

Visually there weren't too many surprises (a standard light show didn't excite) except that the drum kit was set sideways - a nice change of pace allowing for people to check out drummer Brian Lane instead of hiding him.

Occasionally, Brand New falls victim to its own devices - sometimes the longer, slower songs blend in with one another. Lacey doesn't quite have the voice to carry each one through.

The band finished the concert with several songs off The Devil and God. They were well-received, but it's going to take more time to see if they have the resonance of a "Tommy Gun."