By Sophie Scannell, Music Editor
Timidly tucked away in the Beacon’s younger sibling, Lantern Hall, Nourished by Time, AKA Marcus Brown, doused the room in light and invited us to an hour-long party soundtracked by his electric groove and a charmingly captivating stage presence.
Brown has Bristol marked as a special place, recalling visits from a time when he was an artist of much smaller magnitude. This is certainly no longer the case, given his latest album, The Passionate Ones, being taken up with fervour by new listeners, myself included.
There’s a unique joy in stumbling across a song that you love, only to realise it’s the first knot in the clown scarf, each track you pull from their sleeve discography becomes your new favourite. My gateway was ‘Automatic Love’: beefy drum hits threaded between spaceship-fitting synths, it had me hammering replay on my way to work.
Come to find that Brown’s previous album, Erotic Probiotic 2, is just as groovy (and arguably deserving a few extra points for its title alone), I concluded that with production this slick and genre-meddling this confident, these were records that I’d need to see live.
That demand has clearly been shared by many others. Garnering acclaim from industry heavyweights to the arguably equal merit of internet critics such as The Needle Drop, I am yet to recommend The Passionate Ones to someone and receive an underwhelmed response. It’s infectious groove after addictive kick, track after track.
Where tonight’s set really came out of its shell, though, was album one’s ‘Daddy’: a thumping crowd-jolter that literally bellows ‘BASS BASS BASS’ before starry synths whisk us away for the remaining two minutes. It generates enough energy for the older man next to me to award it a solid thumbs up from the back of the crowd, a very dad-like stamp of approval but meaningful nonetheless.
After a largely track-to-track set with barely a pause for breath, Brown takes a moment to chat, recollecting a particularly impressive visit to Café Cuba on Stokes Croft earlier that evening, met with a roar of approval from the audience. Perhaps the seafood grease has lubricated his voice, because tonight it’s creamy and effortless, exuding a charm that seems to swoon just about everyone in the room.
The floor rumbled with anticipation as the crowd stomped in demand of an encore, reverently obliged by Brown and his two bandmates, returning to blast ‘Hell of a Ride’ and ‘The Passionate Ones’. Having scratched the itch to complete the prophecy of my new discovery by seeing it in the flesh, I leave completely satisfied and with a buzz that propelled me up St Michaels Hill at record speeds.
Nourished by Time’s artistry is true as much as in his music and his name. Each moment with these songs are nothing short of nourishing: a technical yet effortless delivery of intimate and true experiences.
Featured image: Epigram / Sophie ScannellHave you listened to The Passionate Ones?
