Label: Hassle Records
Released: 23rd October 2020
Rating: ★★★★
Belgian trio Brutus, purveyors of fast-paced and unforgiving tunes, are taking to the stage in their latest release. On record, they’re something special but live, they threaten to tear the whole city – in this case, their hometown of Ghent – down. In front of 750 die-hard fans, they do what they do best – taking no prisoners for a thrilling and captivating hour-long set that refuses to wane in propulsion.
Drummer-singer Stefanie Mannaerts’s voice remains as powerful as ever, hollering through the chaotic thickness perpetrated by bassist Peter Mulders and guitarist Stijn Vanhoegaerden. The frenetic energy of Brutus collides through your speakers, hypnotising you into its fray until the rousing applause from those in attendance reminds you that, alas, you’re not actually in Belgium with 749 strangers.
In the absence of real, beer-on-sweat-on-beer gigs this year, Brutus ‘Live In Ghent’ is the perfect antidote to those long-lost feelings. Recommended full-blast, up to eleven, loud listening.