Named after a famous venue in the UK, The Brixton Academy does not hesitate in making its influences known. TBA is a synth-rock, new-wave band straight from the '80s. Their production has the cold precision of Kraftwerk, their lyrics have the emotional simplicity of Duran Duran and their vocals have the same stoney-faced delivery of Joy Division. Yet they are able to combine all of these elements into a very modern package. Oh, and they sing entirely in English with just the right amount of accent to make them sound even more "European."
The group is first and foremost a living, breathing band. With all the controlled precision they put into their recordings you might be forgiven for thinking that they're simply a couple guys slouching behind stacks of vintage synthesizers. This is not the case. Their live shows are full of energy and action with amps turned up to the melting point and crowds frothing with glee. All of this is backed by lyrics like "I'm so shy, so I can only gaze at you" and "whisper in my ear, your voice is so sexy."
The band has kept their identities rather guarded so far. Perhaps the scenesters in Japan know who they are, but to the rest of the world TBA still retains an exotic, yet oddly familiar, mystery. The same mystery that all of those one-hit-wonders from the '80s had who came from around the world to gather on Top 40 stations everywhere. The one major difference is the with The Brixton Academy we have a band that's one lucky step away from a very long career indeed.
"See You In A Dream"
Official Site
MySpace
Releases:
Vivid (2010)
"So Shy"
live
live
live
