Excellent Brass Against show at 9:30 Club
by ChrisM on 3/8/259:30 CLUB - WashingtonRating: 5 out of 5The Brass Against show on Wednesday night, 3/5/2025, at 9:30 Club was excellent. The band isn't that well known in the Washington, DC area yet, so the club wasn't over-crowded. That was just icing on the cake though. The sound engineer did a masterful job creating the perfect mix, powerful without being painfully loud. I've waited years to see Brass Against. I wasn't disappointed! Their 4 touring horn players are masters of their instruments. How they can play with such volume and intensity for an entire show is beyond me. The sousaphone bass is incredibly full and rich, enveloping the listener in bottomless, deep tone. Combined with that is the more edgy, raspy tone of the bari sax, sometimes doubling the sousaphone up and octave, sometimes laying down driving, percussive, rhythmic phrases that complement the drums and guitar. Trombone and trumpet fill out the sound, often adding tension via dissonance. The guitar and drums are explosive and relentless. For me, the organic quality of the horns makes the music more exciting and powerful, and in the case of cover songs (Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Led Zeppelin, Alice In Chains...), surpassing the original versions. To top it all off, the two singers are mesmerizing, athletic, theatrical and intense, sexual and sensual. It goes without saying they have incredible voices. In these trying times, this band provides a unique opportunity to acknowledge and release pent up frustration, anger, and anxiety in a joyful, safe, exciting, rejuvenating way. I love Brass Against!
The opening act, Gideon King & City Blog, deserve high praise as well. All the instrument players, keyboardist, bassist, drummer, percussionist, and especially guitarist, were exceptional. The band features three vocalists up front, each of whom sing lead beautifully, and together create luscious harmony. The music this band performs couldn't be more different than Brass Against, having an overall sound I'd characterize as melodic pop/jazz/rock, but is of such high quality that everyone in the audience was cheering after every song. Gideon King & City Blog is a quality, joyous, good energy group that I will gladly see again.