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The lights went out, the crowd went crazy, and then the banner that read “Rock and Roll with Bagpipes” dropped.  The crowd shouted out with more approval as the eclectic rock quartet from Australia called Brother ripped into their opening tune. 

Brother first exploded onto the music scene in 1992 and turned a bunch of ears with a style rarely, if ever, found in the music scene- bagpipes mixed with rock.  Led by actual brothers, Angus and Hamish Richardson, along with drummer Roel Kuiper and guitarist Steve Luxenberg, this band has been stunning audiences all over the world with their amazing on stage antics and high quality playing style.  Their current album is a live project called “This Way Up,”  which features a similar set list as that performed on
their fall tour.

The group started the evening out with a group of high-energy songs to get fans straight out of their seats and into the aisles.  Angus and Hamish gained instant attention with their bagkpipes in hand and kilts around their waists. 

Throughout their two-hour set, showcasing a sampling of songs from all seven of their albums, the two leaders often traded off between the bagpipes, and acoustic and electric guitars.  Such instrumental variation ensured a hearty mix between the toe-tappers and the slow ballads, plus it guaranteed that no two songs sounded the same. 

In addition, the group showed resemblance to some of their hometown heroes, like INXS or Midnight Oil.  Their inspiring, raise your lighter in the air type of atmosphere made me wonder why such tracks were never hit singles on American radio. 

Brother later jammed through the fan favorites “Romp and Circumstance,” and “Fly Away,” tracks that featured intense bagpipe accompaniment.  In fact, both Angus and Hamish left the stage during the latter song to serenade the crowd with their unique playing ability and also gave those in the back of the auditorium a closer look. 

Even though Brother has not sold themselves out to the commercial world, they have gained a huge swarm of fans and loyal followers.  They will continue to do so if their live performances stay as entertaining as this one and maybe even score some hit singles!