Ruen Brothers - Walk Like A Man

For the next three days, Brighton will be welcoming 16,000 music fans and industry delegates to its seaside environs for the biggest ever Great Escape Festival. Breaking More Waves will of course be in the thick of it and we’ll be reporting back via the blog with our thoughts, reviews and discoveries on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Expect our reports to be a little later than our usual 8.30am postings.) We'll also be tweeting from the event here.

One of the interesting changes to this year’s portfolio of venues at the Great Escape is the increased use of churches, with four such buildings being used as part of the core programme, including for the first time ever St Bartholomew’s Church, which according to festival director Kat Morris is “absolutely stunning.”

So it seems appropriate to feature a new song by a band that not only play the Great Escape today but will be the first band to play in St Bartholomew’s. For those expecting a quiet hushed acoustic reverie though, be surprised, be very surprised. For the Ruen Brothers, a band we first introduced as a new wave back in February with their song Aces will be slamming into St Bartholomew’s with their sharp shoes and devilish take on clattering retro 50’s rock ‘n’ roll. Tipping its hat to the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song, Walk Like A Man storms along with a clattering edge that frankly sounds completely out of place in today’s world of modern electronic bedroom producers, hip r’n’b grooves and scuzzy indie bands that have forgotten how to write a tune, and it’s probably all the better for it.

Ruen Brothers - Walk Like A Man

Ruen Brothers - New Waves

“I've been to Southampton but I've never been to Scunthorpe,” rapped Tinie Tempah, which is a shame because if he had he may have discovered today’s new band there. They go by the name of the Ruen Brothers, a moniker which is half true as Rupert and Henry (not the most rock ‘n’ roll first names we’ll agree) are siblings. Despite keeping the first names what they’ve actually changed is their surname (Stansall) but then Ruen Brothers just sounds so more powerfully star-like don’t you think? Like a movie by Tarantino perhaps?

Bringing the polo neck and jackets back into fashion in one single swoop, this duo may channel nostalgia heavily (ask your mum, dad, granny or granddad to get out their Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley and Rolling Stones records and compare and contrast) but on their dynamite track Aces there’s also a hint of more modern bands such as The Killers (in the vocal delivery), Kitty Daisy & Lewis (listen out for harmonica) and The Black Keys. OK, all of these bands all pilfer from the past but as we’ve argued time and time again there is very little guitar music these days that isn’t doing anything but following tradition. The important point is that Aces is raw, exhilarating and really rather great. It’s time for some gritty old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll to kick you in the ears. C'mon everybody.

Ruen Brothers - Aces