Artists: Breed 77
Venue: Chester, Live Rooms
Date: 26th May 2024
"With a new album promised for early 2025 and, hopefully, more live shows on the horizon, the Breed 77 future looks very bright. As for the show in Chester… a triumph!"
Aside from a handful of one-off shows, Breed 77 have been on a lengthy hiatus. The last time I saw the band live was on a very cold November night in Manchester back in 2012, and when they became inactive, I truly thought we had seen the last of them, both in a recording and live capacity. Lead-singer, Paul Isola, then became active on Facebook, with a number of covers. Fast forward to 2024 and the return was officially announced. Was I going to attend a show? A no-brainer, as they say. I was unsure how well the short run of shows would be attended, so it was nice to see a healthy turnout on a Sunday night in Chester.
After a somewhat low-key entrance, it was straight into ‘Individuo’ and ‘The Battle Of Hatin’. The years were turned back, and it was as if Breed 77 had never been away. The core four-piece of Danny Felice (guitar), Pedro Caparros (guitar), Stuart Cavilla (bass) and the afore-mentioned Paul Isola, have now been joined by Adam Stanley on drums. There was hardly time to take a breath before ‘Petrolea (You Will Be King)’ and ‘Matter Of Time’ battered the senses. The energy levels were incredible and in-between taking photos (despite the very poor lighting) I was singing like a mad man.
The Breed 77 musical style is particularly hard to categorise, though “Flamenco Metal” seems to be a popular description. The music is very powerful, but the melodies and hooks are readily identifiable and high impact. The set was well-balanced, drawing on the full Breed catalogue and featuring many fan favourites. It was impossible to pick a highlight, though the extended crowd involvement during an impassioned ‘The River’ did raise a few hairs on the arms and neck. The band were tight; more so than expected after all the years away. I can only imagine how extensive the rehearsal schedule has been, though we are talking about quality musicians who know each other so well. We were also treated to two brand new songs, ‘End Of The Line’ and ‘Outside’, which were both full of trademark Breed 77 nuances. The obligatory Cranberries cover ‘Zombie’ gave the crowd another chance to flex their own vocal cords, and I even saw several of the bar staff singing along. Things came to a close with ‘Insects’ and ‘La Ultima Hora’ and ninety-minutes had passed in the blink of an eye.
With a new album promised for early 2025 and, hopefully, more live shows on the horizon, the Breed 77 future looks very bright. As for the show in Chester… a triumph!
Photos & Review: Dave Bott
Gallery: All photos © Dave Bott (used with kind permission)
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