Since their inception in 2019, Portsmouth based Brave Rival have delighted fans and critics alike with their modern take on classic rock vibes. This culminated in the release of their 2022’s debut ‘Life’s Machine’ featuring  a dozen nuggets of sharp melody and emotive playing, topped off by the delightful, hypnotising interplay of co-vocalists Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick. ‘Life’s Machine’ drew strong praise across the board,  also bringing the group (completed by guitarist Ed ‘the Shred’ Clarke, bassist Billy Dedman and drummer Donna Peters) to the attention of the American guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa, who rated them among his “favourite discoveries” of that year.
 
Armed with a relentless work ethic, the band’s 2022/2023 itinerary saw them perform at the Isle of Wight Festival and London’s famous 100 Club among other venues. Mixing headline dates with opportunities alongside Elles Bailey, former Mountain drummer Corky Laing, Kingfish and Dom Martin, they performed 86 concerts in 2023 alone, including a barnstormer at the Maid Of Stone Festival in Kent.
 
Loath to derail a winning formula, Brave Rival created their second album, Fight or Flight, with hotly rated Tarrant Shepherd returning as producer, engineer and mixer. Once again, the project was crowdfunded by their loyal Bravians and the sound was filled out by the warm, fruity Hammond organ of Jonny Henderson. In contrast to their debut album, the band were able to write and refine together instead of remotely during the pandemic. Scrupulous standards of composition were observed and their roadwork saw Brave Rival enter the session armed with an even keener sense of musical telepathy. Further embellishment came from a string quartet, harmonica virtuoso Will Wilde who rips up a storm on ‘Stand Up’, plus the  15-strong Kickstarter gang choir that added boisterous backing vocals to their Rock Anthem ‘Bad Choices’. Suffice to say that if you found pleasure in ‘Life’s Machine’ then ‘Fight Or Flight’ is going to blow your mind. 
 
“To me, there’s a different energy,” muses Lindsey. “Lyrically, just about every song can be viewed in different ways. There’s a strong thread around mental health, whether we were writing about things we’d gone through ourselves or experiences picked up from meeting people on the road.”
 
With 36 song ideas prepared, there was plenty of material to choose from. It helped that almost half of the album’s contents – including ‘Fairytale’, ‘Insane’, ‘Sink Or Swim’ and ‘All I Can Think About’ – had been thoroughly road-tested, though some key selections were held back to foster a sense of surprise.
 
Lindsey, Chloe and Donna began as a folk trio and it’s the push and pull between Lindsey and Chloe that really elevates the Brave Rival sound into bold, exciting areas. Just like their bandmates, both are masterful performers that take obvious delight in hitting a perfect note onstage.
 
“Chloe and I have sung together for eleven years, so things are now instinctive,” Lindsey explains. “We are very much in tune with one another.” Chloe agrees: “Singing with Lindsey is one of my favourite things to do. There’s trust between us, it’s become effortless.”
 
Expanding on the point, Lindsey adds: “It’s quite unusual for two lead vocalists to front the band; instead of one of us taking a back seat, it’s something that we do together, and we’re happy that people are now starting to think of what we do as special. The five of us have a lot of fun together onstage and the audience knows that it’s not fake.”
 
With comparisons to the Wilson sisters from Heart, as well as legends like Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, the DNA of the aforementioned bands flows through Brave Rivals veins. “Each of us draws influence from different artists and various genres,” Ed comments. “Chloe adores Aretha Franklin and Lindsey is into the Tedeschi Trucks Band, but I’m a fan of Guns N’ Roses. Those acts don’t typically belong together, but each is part of Brave Rival’s sound.”
 
Brave Rival will tour extensively throughout 2024, including ‘special guest’ spots on several dates from the 40th anniversary tour of British hard rock legends FM in April. They also have multiple nominations in this year’s prestigious UK Blues Awards.
 
“We are massively ambitious, and we can’t wait for people to hear ‘Fight or Flight’,” Lindsey concludes. 
 
Donna Peters smiles: “This year we want more of everything – more radio play…”
 
“…Bigger venues, too,” interjects Billy ‘Danger’ Dedman. 
 
It’s going to happen. Just watch.

The influences are firmly set in the southern rock vibe and that’s where the bands passion clearly lies. Trying to do something familiar but with a twist that keeps the audience engaged and interested, whilst focusing on what serves the song. Guitarist James Ives and Lead Singer / Guitarist Ross Connor are clearly tone chasers and that is very transparent in ‘Separate Ways’ where the rhythmical and sonic element is so important.
 
The bands previous singles ‘Mind Your Own Business’, ‘Better Than Me’ and ‘Jester’ all display the very ‘rootsy’ foundations of what ‘Ramblin’ Preachers’ are about. The band also won the Introducing Stage at the Great British Rock & Blues Festival 2022 which helped the band in becoming what is one of the hottest live bands around.
 
With Arena like power, relatable song writing and a face melting live show they aim to continue their success with their debut album ‘Sins & Virtues’. With the excellent minds of producers Wayne Proctor & Oli Brown now intertwined within the band’s productions and compositions it’s a good time to get behind them and join the journey.
 
For Fans Of: Rival Sons, Blackberry Smoke, Black Stone Cherry, Chris Stapleton, Robert Jon & The Wreck, The Commoners.
 
Ross Connor - Vocals & Guitar
James Ives - Lead Guitar
Craig Howe – Bass Guitar
Rich Baker - Drums

“Such guitar sounds gave you the impression that there is another vocalist in the band.” Trevor Locke, Music in Leicester
 
“I think their brand of Raucous riffs and rhythms hit the spot for the rockers in the audience.” Sally Newhouse, Metal Talk