Bronnie - The Asylum, Birmingham 15.12.2019
Rising from the success of her latest EP ‘Dream Or Nightmare’, Bronnie is set to triumph another UK tour as she bounces across the country with her undeniably catchy Pop-Punk hits and insatiably loud but lovable personality, stapling another pivotal moment in her career as she sells out venues across the UK.
We join her in Birmingham with support from Project Revise and Galaxy Thief, two supporting acts who rose to the occasion and delivered a lively, enthusiastic start to what appeared to be an unusually early show. Bronnie shows extend beyond the music, the whole event felt like a day’s worth of activities that made the bang really worth the buck as VIP kicked off at 1pm and curfew didn’t come till 6:30.
Bronnie’s set kicked off without a hitch, kicking into the fan favourite tracks like ‘Stay’ and ‘Run And Hide’ but also sprinkling some festive covers along the way to raise festivities. I appreciated her eccentric personality, Bronnie’s a native to these shows and had the audience in the palm of her hand. Bouncing around the room, kicking her way across the air and head banging along the way, it’s easy to see why she’s such a beloved “Pop-Punk queen” as I overheard. But her charismatic charm didn’t overshadow that of her band members who equally made their best efforts to put on an exciting performance, and from the hordes of fans moshing across the room it’s safe to say their words didn’t fall on deaf ears.
If you’ve never been to a Bronnie show before it’s an experience of its own. Though the songs are catchy and the merch tables are dazzled in adorable fairy lights, what really brings a Bronnie show together is its devoted and passionate audience members. Walking into a tightly packed Asylum 2 venue felt like an out-of-body experience, I’d walked into another world. Everyone was draped in Bronnie’s merch, some had even gone as far as to completly emulate her look from hair colour to makeup to exact clothing. Though it sounds cult-like, the cult of Bronnie is one of wholesome energy. Throughout the show I could see fans of all ages singing their heart out, moshing together with random strangers and looking out for each other if they were upset, overwhelmed or hurt. That kind of energy is hard to find and unique in its own, making the experience that bit more warming and lovely.
Though the show was exciting as it was an overall hit, there were a few hitches that underwhelmed it. One other thing that didn’t seem to click was the VIP/M&G situation. You can pay for a VIP pass (roughly £30) to meet her, get early access, get a photo on your phone, an acoustic set of two songs and get a poster & laminated pass. OR you could pay £20 to do the exact same thing at her M&G just without a poster and pass, early entry doesn’t really guarantee anything amazing in a small venue like the Asylum 2 where the barrier and back of the room are of a 5 second walking distance, anyone could squeeze to the front.
I can respect that the VIP/M&G is done in fairness so everyone can meet her, and isn’t as the fault of Bronnie herself or her band mates but if you’re paying £30 to meet her it would make more sense to hire a photographer to get nicer photos, maybe extend the acoustic set longer or have more time to actually speak with the artist. Speaking from the shoes of a potential young fan, that’s a lot of money to spend and could seem underwhelming.
Other than that, I feel the show was a success for Bronnie and her band, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her sell out bigger venues with the devotion of her fanbase.
Bronnie - https://www.facebook.com/BronnieMusic/
Galaxy Thief - https://www.facebook.com/GalaxyThief/
Project Revise - https://www.facebook.com/projectrevise/
Photos - Steph Cheetham
Review - Yasmine Summan
