The Brave
The Brave performing in 2019
Background information
OriginBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genres
Years active2013 (2013)–present
Labels
Members
  • Nathan Toussaint
  • Kurt Thomson
  • Daniel Neucom
  • Brent Thomson
  • Denham Lee
Past members
  • Dave Mead
Websitethebraveofficial.com

The Brave are an Australian metalcore band from Brisbane, formed in 2013.[1] The band consists of guitarists Kurt Thomson and Denham Lee, drummer Brent Thomson, bassist Daniel Neucom, and vocalist Nathan Toussaint.[2] They have released two studio albums: Epoch (2016), and Aura (2019).

History

Formation and early years (2013–2014)

The Brave were formed in May 2013 by Kurt Thomson on lead guitar, Dave Mead on rhythm guitar, an unidentified individual on drums, Daniel Neucom on bass guitar, and Nathan Toussaint on vocals. Toussaint whose previous bad had broken up wished to form a new band, getting together with his drummer friend (whose band also broke up), they recruited Mead, Thomson, and Neucom as guitarists and bassist respectively. Toussaint's drummer friend, unable to commit due to personal reasons left the band at an early stage. They later recruited Kurt's brother Brent as their drummer. Their debut single "Pages" was released on 3 November to Bandcamp. Their first live show was held near the end of 2013 in Brisbane, they played as support for American rock band Dance Gavin Dance.[3]

Their sophomore and third singles "Hundred" and "Dream Chasers" were released on 3 March and 18 May 2014 respectively.[4][5] They then released their debut EP Endless on 9 September and quickly gathered a large following of fans. The tracks "Bright Eyes" and "Wake Me Up" was also released as singles. They then went on perform more live shows, sharing the stage with bands such as In Hearts Wake and Dream On, Dreamer. Which then garnered them more fans and gained the attention of UNFD owner Luke Logemann.[6]

Record label and Epoch (2015–2016)

Main article: Epoch (The Brave album)

On 21 February 2015, the band performed as a support act during Never Lose Sight's farewell tour.[7] On 27 May, The Brave held a show with I Met the Maker and Endless performing as support for them.[8] On 8 September, to celebrate the first anniversary of their EP Endless, the band offered hard copies of it.[9] On 26 December, The Brave performed at the Bring it On Party supporting Deadlights.[10]

On 28 March 2016, two days before officially signing onto to the record label UNFD, the band unveiled their new single "Searchlight" via a mystery email blast. The emails contained the hashtag "#UNFDEasterEgg" leading people to begin speculation as who the new member of the UNFD label was. on 30 March, they were officially announced to be a part of the UNFD label. Vocalist Nathan Toussaint shared his excitement about signing onto UNFD, saying that he was "beyond stoked" and that he "never thought that it would take [the band] to the point of getting signed let alone signing [sic] to a label like UNFD."[6] The Brave then went on tour to promote their single "Searchlight" on 22, 28, and 30 April. All shows were for over-18s only.[3] On 12 May, their second single since signing "Escape" was released. Their third single to be included on their debut album, "Break Free", was released on 9 June. Their debut studio album Epoch was announced on 1 July and later released on 5 August by UNFD. The track "Dreamless" contains guest vocals from Marcus Bridge, lead vocalist of UNFD labelmate Northlane. The track "Ignited Youth" contains themes concerning the human cost of global conflict.[11] In October, the band joined Falling in Reverse as support for their first Australian tour since 2015.[12] In November, they joined Northlane on tour in New Zealand as a supporting act on their Intuition Tour.[13] On 14 November, the band performed at Unify Gathering 2017.[14] On 25 November, The Brave's track "Dreamless" featuring Marcus Bridge was included on the compilation album UNIFY 2017: A Heavy Music Compilation.[15]

Mead's departure and Aura (2017–present)

Main article: Aura (The Brave album)

On 2 August 2017, The Brave released their new single "Ethereal", later announced to be included on their upcoming album. "Ethereal" addresses the band's view on the world set on destroying itself.[16] On 8 November, the band recorded a rendition of the 1997 song "Cemetery" by Silverchair for Spawn (Again): A Tribute To Silverchair, a tribute album to Silverchair.[17] On 25 November, The Brave headlined The New Noise 2017, a free all-ages music event hosted by UNFD.[18]

On 14 May 2018, The Brave won the category of "Best Heavy Song" at the Queensland Music Awards for their single "Ethereal".[19] Sometime before June, guitarist Dave Mead left the band for unknown reasons. His replacement, Denham Lee, was announced on 19 June before playing with the band in August at their first show of 2018 in Brisbane.[20]

On 7 February 2019, The Brave announced their sophomore studio album Aura, later released on 5 April. A tour to promote the album's newest single "Technicolor" was also announced, Melbourne rock band Windwaker will join The Brave.[21] Toussaint describes "Technicolor" as "...about one of [his] first experiences of getting a little too loose when [he] was young."[22] On 6 March, the band released their newest single, "Desolation", to also be included on their forthcoming album, Aura. It was premiered on Triple J's Short.Fast.Loud segment.[23] On 4 April, the band released a music video for their track "Burn", a day before releasing their sophomore studio album Aura.[24] On 7 July, The Brave played an all ages show, The Big Bris 4, alongside other Brisbane bands Deadlights, She Cries Wolf, and Stepson.[25] On 26 July, to celebrate their Aura Tour, the band released a reimagined version of the title track "Aura".[26] The Aura Tour will take place in August, Melbourne band Pridelands is set to join them at all but two shows.[27] Also supporting them will be Statues, Patient Sixty-Seven, Fadeaway, Hercules Morse, Worlds Apart, The Light the Dark, Earthbound, Washed Away, Emecia, Heartline, Mirrors, Isotopes, and Days Like These.[28]

On 9 and 12 January 2020, The Brave performed at Unify Gathering 2020 despite the alleged risk of bushfires.[29] They then later announced and performed The Break Out Tour from late February until early April, continuing to ride the hype from Aura. They were join on the tour by Sleep Talk, Bad/Love, and To Octavia.[30] On 18 February, the band teased a cover of "Song 2" by Blur announcing that it would be played at their upcoming tour performances.[31] The cover was officially released as a single on 29 May.[32] The band's Brisbane performance had to be postponed until 4 September due to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[33]

Musical style

The Brave's genre has been categorised as hardcore,[34] post-hardcore, and metalcore.[35] Their debut EP Endless was described as taking influences from Bring Me the Horizon, While She Sleeps and Underoath.[6] The Brave lists these bands as influences to their sound, as well as Linkin Park, Northlane, and Architects.[3] Frontman Nathan Toussaint also lists Incubus and Slipknot as major influences in his life as well.[3]

Members

Current

Former

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums
Title EP details Peak chart positions
AUS
Epoch –
Aura
  • Released: 5 April 2019[37]
  • Label: UNFD, Rise (NA)
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
 –[a]

Extended plays

List of extended plays
Title EP details
Endless

Singles

Title Year Album
"Pages" 2013 Non-album singles
"Hundred" 2014
"Dream Chasers"
"Bright Eyes" Endless
"Wake Me Up"
"Searchlight" 2016 Epoch
"Escape"
"Break Free"
"Ethereal" 2017 Aura
"Technicolor" 2019
"Desolation"
"Aura (Reimagined)" Non-album singles
"Song 2" (Blur cover) 2020

Album appearances

List of album appearances
Title Year Album
"Dreamless" (featuring Marcus Bridge) 2016 UNIFY 2017: A Heavy Music Compilation
"Cemetery" 2017 Spawn (Again): A Tribute to Silverchair

Music videos

Year Song Director
2016 "Searchlights" Jason Eshraghian
"Dreamless" (featuring Marcus Bridge)
2017 "Ethereal" Adrian Eyre
2019 "Technicolor" Colin Jeffs
"Burn"

Notes

  1. ^ Aura did not enter the Top 100, but peaked at number 42 on the ARIA Digital Albums Chart.[38]

Awards

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[39]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2018[40] "Ethereal" Heavy Song of the Year Won

References

  1. ^ "The Brave". UNFD Central. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  2. ^ "The Brave". Triple J Unearthed. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "An Idiot's Guide To The Brave". UNFD Central. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  4. ^ "HUNDRED | The Brave". BandCamp. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Dream Chasers | The Brave". BandCamp. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "The Brave Sign To UNFD, Reveal New Track Via Mystery Email". UNFD Central. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  7. ^ "The Brave - Who's coming out tonight to farewell Never Lose Sight?". Facebook. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  8. ^ "THE BRAVE w/ I MET THE MAKER, ENDLESS". Facebook. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  9. ^ "The Brave - We can't believe it's been a whole year..." Facebook. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  10. ^ "The Brave - First show back in 6 months, keen to see some familiar faces!". Facebook. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  11. ^ "The Brave Announce Debut Album Epoch". UNFD Central. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  12. ^ "FALLING IN REVERSE W/ THE BRAVE (ALL AGES)". The Triffid. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  13. ^ Metal Hammer (7 November 2016). "Fortune favours The Brave: the unexpected success of Australia's metalcore mob". Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  14. ^ Brown, Paul (11 November 2016). "UNIFY release Timetables + Compilation CD Announced". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  15. ^ "UNFD Release UNIFY 2017: A Heavy Music Compilation". UNFD Central. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  16. ^ Sievers, Alex (3 August 2017). "The Brave Unleash New Single, 'Ethereal'". KillYourStereo. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  17. ^ Oxford, Ryan (17 November 2017). "The Brave meets UNFD's Spawn (Again): A Tribute To Silverchair". Rock Nation. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  18. ^ Mack, Emmy (3 November 2017). "UNIFY Drops 2017 Lineup For Free All-Ages Music Event, The New Noise". Music Feeds. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  19. ^ Staff Writers (15 May 2018). "2018 Queensland Music Awards Winners". Scenestr. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  20. ^ "The Brave - Not only is our upcoming show..." Facebook. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  21. ^ Brown, Paul (7 February 2019). "The Brave announce new album Aura, drop first single 'Technicolor' + unveil East Coast Tour". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  22. ^ Joey McGahey (7 February 2019). "THE BRAVE // Announce New Album". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  23. ^ "The Brave - "Make sure you tune into Short.Fast.Loud on triple j..." Facebook. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  24. ^ UNFD (4 April 2019). "The Brave - Burn [Official Music Video]". Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "The Brave - Brisbane! We have a bit of a special thing..." Facebook. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  26. ^ "The Brave - Happy Friday everyone! In celebration of our Aura Tour". Facebook. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  27. ^ "The Brave - Australia, we are hitting the road in August..." Facebook. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  28. ^ "The Brave - Here they are, all supports for the Aura Tour..." Facebook. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  29. ^ Jenke, Tyler (2 January 2020). "UNIFY Gathering team share update regarding festival bushfire risk". Tone Deaf. The Brag. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  30. ^ Staff Writer (22 January 2020). "Brisbane Outfit The Brave Lock In 2020 Aussie Tour". The Music. Handshake Media. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  31. ^ "The Brave on Twitter: "WOO HOO! Our cover of Song 2 by Blur is now up! Head over to our Instagram or Facebook to check it out! We'll be playing this on our upcoming tour which kicks off next week...Tickets now available!"". 18 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  32. ^ "The Brave on Twitter: "Woo hoo! Our cover of Song 2 by Blur is now available on all streaming platforms!"". Twitter. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  33. ^ "The Brave - Hi all, due to the current and on-going..." Facebook. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  34. ^ Lambert, Tim (29 July 2016). "Review: The Brave, 'Epoch'". Stack. JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  35. ^ H., Tyler (31 July 2016). "Album Review: The Brave – Epoch". Sound Fiction. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  36. ^ "Epoch". UNFD Central. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  37. ^ "Aura". UNFD Central. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  38. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  39. ^ "About the Queensland Music Awards". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Past Winners 2018". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
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