LIVE: Brothers Osborne; Bristol Beacon

TJ and John Osborne on stage at Bristol Beacon

Not being able to stick around for the Sunday at C2C in 2024 wouldn’t have been too big a deal other than the best duo in country music were on the bill. Happy times then that Brothers Osborne found their way back to UK shores but a year later.

Returning to Bristol for the first time in seven years you’d have expected a more raucous reception than they got on a dreary Wednesday night. With opener Tyler Braden having done his best to gravel-voice his way into the audience’s hearts by bringing a band and a nice set of country-rock songs, the main set felt a bit flat despite the Brothers and their band putting on quite a show.

With TJ strutting around and covering all corners of the show, John up on monitors for his searing guitar solos, a mid-set call and response, the duo put their sweat into the show and delivered all that you’d expect from them.

The great thing about this band is that they mix things up on a regular basis, both on record and at their shows. They have a terrific line in country-rock, with Stay A Little Longer, Shoot Me Straight, and Skeletons showing John’s guitar licks at their best. On the flip side, ‘Weed, Whiskey and Willie’ and ‘Pushing up Daisies’ show their softer side, while ‘Nobody’s Nobody’, ‘Might As Well Be Me’ and ‘I’m Not For Everyone’ highlight their give-no-shits attitude to what people think. In the most inclusive, positive and uplifting way of course.

And that’s the thing to love most about these guys, they are who they are, they make music for their fans, and they’re successful because of exactly that. You could say they’re sombody’s somebody.

Find out more about Brothers Osborne, on their official website. Check out where they are (not in a weird stalky way) on Instagram.

John Osborne thrashing out a guitar solo at Bristol Beacon (photo by Max Mazonowicz)