Simon RushworthBrothers Osborne are midway through their biggest UK headline run to date. Simon Rushworth caught John and TJ tearing it up on Tyneside.
‘Borne to rock
Under the disarming cloak of country, two canny brothers from Maryland have been carefully cultivating an audience that’s clearly more rock than Music City. Playing the long game, John and JT Osborne were trading in Southern-fried riffs and meaty basslines long before Post Malone caught on. And almost a decade down the line from the punchy Pawn Shop, the Brothers have evolved into a powerful live force more akin to Deep Purple than Dolly Parton. Their country crossover complete, it’s fair to say John and JT are in no mood to row back on their rock-fuelled odyssey. Tom Petty’s defiant I Won’t Back Down is in the set for a reason.
Stay A Little Longer
Or at least come over more often. It’s bordering on the criminal that a band comfortably able to sell out Newcastle’s O2 City Hall has only visited the Toon three times — their previous trip to Tyneside way back in 2018. There may well have been a global pandemic and an economic crisis in between but come on lads? And what makes it even more inexplicable is that on their first night in the city, supporting The Cadillac Three in 2017, John and TJ confessed to being big Newcastle United fans after being bowled over by the Magpies’ away support at Old Trafford. It’s time to Stay A Little Longer, a lot more often.
Quality trumps quantity
Sure, a 15-song set could have been longer. But could it have been any better? With four studio albums under their belt, it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch to extend an explosive show to two hours or more. Instead, John and JT chose to favour quality over quantity, adding three carefully curated covers to a mix of ‘hits’ spanning their 13-year career. Paying homage to Petty, Dirks Bentley and Bob Marley, the Brothers doubled down on their long-held desire to think — and play — out of the box. But when they did buy into Pawn Shop’s many jewels, raucous foot-tapper It Ain’t My Fault and the Petty-esque Heart Shaped Locket were the highlights.
Tyler raises the roof
Tyler Braden could do worse than follow the Brothers’ well trodden route straight into the hearts and minds of the UK’s classic rock community. And the former firefighter made a blazing start to his bid for British patronage. Already a social media-fuelled breakout star back home, the hoodie-wearing, flat capped singer songwriter chose substance over style as he stomped about the stage looking more young farmer than bona fide rock star. Appearances, of course, can be deceptive. And beneath the baggy beige lurks the belly of the beast — and the brilliant Braden can dress how the hell he wants if he delivers on this scale every night. Like a little Brother from another mother, John and JT could hardly have picked a more popular opener. Tyler brought the house down.
Images courtesy of Adam Kennedy.