October 2006 then January 2026
When playing in Brody & Quint with Rosemary and Anna, we gigged regularly in London and from time to time would do a small tour of the North playing at venues in Manchester, Bolton, Sheffield and Leeds.
On one occasion in Leeds we hit it off with a band on the bill called The Avenues, so much so that we returned a few months later to play at the launch of their second album Love, Life and The Giant Leap. We subsequently helped set them up for a gig in London.
With echoes of The Byrds and The Beach Boys in their songwriting and harmonies, they transmitted such joy when playing. My friend Chris had travelled with us from Sheffield, and we exchanged impressed glances when we heard their bass player’s booming voice and blood vessel-busting range. This was Rich, who turned out to be Leeds’ answer to Brian Wilson.
Rich and I stayed in touch over the years, occasionally messaging each other or sharing music we’d been recording or producing. Then at the start of this year he offered to remaster some of the Brody & Quint songs, bringing to life some rather dull and flat recordings.
I never felt we accurately captured the best of our performances, even accounting for many of the recordings being done at home on a hard disc 8 track; we communicated with much more emotion, vitality and spirit live. Combining sparse fingerpicked acoustic guitar, cello and vocals, at times we took delicacy to a dangerous point where it could either fall apart or hit home powerfully. A kind of musical jeopardy, a risk worth taking. I remember the sound man at that second album launch gig shaking his head with admiration when we just pulled it off with a crescendo and sudden drop at the end of 20 Feet Beneath the Sea. The only time I experienced that satisfying reaction from a jaded denizen of the toilet venue sound desk.
Rich did a fine remastering job as I expected, despite being constrained by only having the mixed songs to work with and none of the constituent parts. Listening to these songs again after some 20 years there were many surprises, including entire sections of songs I’d forgotten about and bridges which really sparkled. But the biggest surprise was that the track which I liked most was a seldom-played song called Silvertown, inspired by a visit to Potosí. Not one Rich or I would have ever picked out as amongst the best. It’s the simplicity I think, short and sweet, a reminder that less is more.
Brody & Quint
Silvertown