Brogeal: TUESDAY PAPER CLUB
Vinyl | CD | DL available at Sister Ray
Released 17 October
Invasion is a proper hot topic nowadays. If that’s the current subject matter then I welcome with open arms the invasion to my eardrums and soul of Scotland’s new favourite sons Brogeal. Their debut album Tuesday Paper Club will have ya dancing with a sporran that holds a secret magical yard of ale for the second half of your own show. You remember how to dance, right?
Kicking off with the title track Tuesday Paper Club, a bombardment of drumbeats march towards you arm in arm with a stampede of bouzouki sounds. An eruption of light has arrived. Battle lines are drawn. The thump in your chest hieghtens. Adrenaline flows through stories from Falkirk’s oldest boozer where old men read newspapers and ignore each other until they have had at least five pints, get pished, dabble in naughtiness and try not to think of the wife. A barmans-eye view of judgemental old men putting the world to rights and probably getting it wrong in so many ways. Struts of guitars arrive as I imagine booze is being thrown around all over the Bar. Its raucous, its lairy, its fun and will more than likely leave you in a heap come the morning. Its like T-Rex cooking up a storm in a Gordon Ramsey ‘fuck off stylee’. The world around you may stand still. So why should you?
A walk down Vicar Street is a sentimental look at life, creating or causing a scene and learning by yours or someone elses mistakes. As with the first track, its upbeat and in ya mush. It makes you wanna go out and make the day shine. There’s definitely a positivity that screams from the roots of their boots. Its poetic alleyway debauchery at its best. The party never stopped, you just tried to tell us it had. Brogeal grab that misconception by the throat and teaches you how to dance with ya soul on the heart of ya kilt.
The first single Friday On My Mind shows another direction. An irresistibly jaunty song in search of love. Influences in the first few tracks are quite obvious. The rambunctious Celtic folk of The Pogues, the story-telling charm of The Twang, lush pop harmonies of Teenage Fanclub, the jangly delicacy of The Smiths, the yearning of classic Oasis b-sides, a Scottish brogue as defiant as the Proclaimers, and in this, they sound like the Scottish Stone Roses. Its a brilliant mixture. Brogeal have it all and they make it their own.
Lady Madonna, written in 2020, is already a fans favourite and you can see why. Its indie-pop punk-folk perfection. Young lads on the quest for life-long little beauties. Their songs have a shape, a style, a swagger and a belief that we will succeed. Its relentlessly robust.
Four songs in at it feels like you haven’t taken a breath in days. In a gerjumbled state Turn and Walk Away sees the morning after tremors of regret, realising you may have been a bit of a dick at some point. “Well if i had a chance I’d waste it, though you’re the one that I adore” ponders our casanova. There’s a romantic side to these boys too. In the gorgeous Scarlett Red there are echoes of early Noel Gallagher at his most wistful. Daniel Harkins most romantically tender song yet. Proving poetic perfection once more, Dippin ‘n’ Divin is a 30 second spoken word interlude. The earworm of “and if god looked down on this old town now, he’d asses his once great creation” will be with you for weeks.
One For The Ditch is exactly what it says on the can. Its a traditional knees up. Booze, fags, birds and a bit of the other. Its singing at the top of your drunken voice with ya best mates. Its dancefloor mayhem at family weddings, where in the corner, very discreetly, your grandad is tapping his toes to the tempo. Its a journey you’ll never forget. Its inviting. You wanna hang out with these boys. Looks a right scream.
Draw The Line is what Brogeal do best. Social commentary. This about the ‘sketchy local characters’ who will either end up in jail or the ground. Throughout the album they paint a picture. The picture pulses with a selection of instruments. Bass and drums are my earth. Banjos and accordions my sun drenched sky, while guitars and vocals are the people within. Brogeal feels like a person. A cool kid in a cagoule with a heart of gold. They are a feeling and a way of life. Brogeal create a life-like and alluring soundscape. Everything comes together with perfect timing. Producer Richie Kennedy makes me feel like I’m looking out of my own teenage window. Dreams are alive Landscapes are vast. Clouds can blur but my vision is clear. Its a majestic piece of art.
Racing Track continues with the albums visual creations in a fast paced indie-rock track, while Apples And Leaves showcases a more delicately soft songwriting style. Stuck Inside is the twelfth track on what has been an adventure. Education is not within walls. You can’t be adored from inside. Life lives outside the windows you are stuck behind. Manchester via Falkirk. Ticket for two please. Its one of the best tracks on the album, the guitars are like a jangly head rush. Get ya poppers out. Make the most of now and enjoy it. Be uplifting. Be beautiful. Come with me now. It’ll be grand.
The penultimate track Go Home To Your Bed, I won’t lie, is a tear-jerker you didn’t expect. Its an exquisitely emotional number. A haunting lament to loss and the comforting presence of a loved one beyond the grave. Images of family members and friends rush into my napper. It makes you wanna hug your loved ones and never let them go. Its eerie to say the least (the song, not hugging loved ones). There is a defiant ending to the track that gives me strength. Final track Lonesome Boatman starts like the Scottish Wild West. Something up their sleeves perhaps. That something would be carnage. Get yourselves a ticket to the tour, you won’t be disappointed.
Within a melting pot of social unrest. Brogeal bring a glorious glimpse into the future of British music. There’s a lot of nostalgia with the modern day youth. They love the bands of most nostalgic men and live a life where they only hope their own history holds a future for others. Like in the early 90’s, it feels like somethings brewing. On the back of this debut, Brogeal could well be the future. Who said the working class hero was dead, eh?
Words by Eccie.
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