Cambridge band Lonely the Brave line up hometown gig

One of Cambridge’s premier acts for quite a while now, Lonely the Brave will be performing a hometown gig next week.

Since forming in 2008, the alternative rock quintet – Mark Trotter (lead guitar), Gavin Edgeley (drums), Andrew Bushen (bass), Ross Smithwick (rhythm guitar) and Jack Bennett (lead vocals) – have gone from strength to strength, despite Jack replacing original lead singer David Jakes in 2018, releasing three full-length studio albums and a number of EPs. They have also performed gigs all over the world.

Mark tells the Cambridge Independent that three of the band still live locally. “We’ve all been around here forever really,” he notes. “We are spread out a little bit now – Jack is in Manchester and Ross is in Bristol, but myself, Mo [Gavin Edgeley] and Bushy are all still very much Cambridge, or close by to Cambridge put it that way!”

The musician, who recently turned 40, grew up in the city and now lives in one of the villages. He says the band is still very much a Cambridge band and that they are looking forward to performing at the Junction later this month.

“It’s one of those venues that, again, being from here I’ve grown up watching all my favourite bands throughout the years play there,” he observes. “The Junction and the Corn Exchange are always the two, aren’t they?

“And we’re lucky enough to have headlined both – and the Junction’s always good fun. From the days of CRC music college playing there all the way through to a career and coming back and playing there.”

Lonely the Brave’s most recent album is 2021’s The Hope List. “This tour was actually supposed to have happened, I believe, in January ’21, when the record was released,” reveals Mark, “and it’s been put back and put back obviously because of Covid and lockdown.

“Then there were some health concerns in our camp as well so unfortunately it got rescheduled and rescheduled... So this is the album launch tour – just very late! But we’re just so glad to finally be getting out there and just playing these songs live.”

Mark says that much of the album was recorded remotely. “It was a completely different way of working for us,” he recalls. “Traditionally we’ll have what we think is going to be the record rehearsed and pre production all done before going into the studio.

“We’ll spend weeks at a time all together going through and recording and getting it how we want it, so this was a completely different take on how to work. I’m not saying it’s any better, just different for me. If I had a preference it would probably be all of us being in the same place together because I love that creative energy.”

The guitarist reveals that he and his bandmates are working on new material at the moment and are keeping busy. “We’ve played a few festivals so far this year; it’s actually been great getting back out in front of people,” he says, “just the release of all that tension of the last however many years is just flowing out of everybody – so it’s really emotionally charged and really powerful, which has been incredible to experience.”

After all these years together, one imagines that the band are closer than they’ve ever been? “Yeah, I would say so,” agrees Mark. “It’s interesting, if anyone has been into the band and knows what’s happened we’ve obviously been through some big transitions throughout the years.

“We’ve gone through this whole period of major life events for all of us, in terms of marriages, kids, pandemics, the political mood in the country, shall we say... to go through these things and kind of come out the other side, yeah, I think we are probably closer now than we ever have been, which is a really good place to be.”

In 2018, the band announced via email that former lead singer David Jakes was to leave the group due to mental health issues. How is he now? “He’s good, as far as I’m aware,” says Mark. “I see him every so often and we speak a lot and he’s in a really good place.”

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Mark, who says he decided to follow a career in music at the age of 12, adds: “At the end of the day, he’s a friend first and foremost and I think that he did the right things for him, and we all wholeheartedly supported that.

“Health is key to everything, isn’t it? So we still see each other and we still catch up and chat. It’s nice to have my friend there.”

Lonely the Brave will be appearing at the Junction’s J1 next Wednesday (September 21). For tickets, visit junction.co.uk. For more on the band, visit lonelythebrave.com.