Jonathan Bree :: Marion Raw :: Francis Lung
(10/17/23)
Zebulon, Los Angeles
Shot by Charissa Clark
Edited & Review by Esteban Allard-Valdivieso
It starts with a mask. It ends with a feeling. Headliner and Kiwi, Jonathan Bree is truly something else. After a long stint with lo-fi twee pop legends, The Brunettes, Breeβs solo act is chock full of contradictions, where the sum is wholly greater than its parts. An unsettling visual swirl of nightmarish phantasmagoria, Mod wigs, white gloves, white eyeless balaclavas and white boots, Bree is sonically something like maudlin synthpop (think maybe Serge Gainsbourg meets Jonathan Richman and The Magnetic Fields). He is alien yet familiar. A visitor from the previous century, but also from the next. Theatrical yet brutal. Still, Bree is here to satisfy a niche of his own creation. His backing band, clad in the same dis-identifying outfits are completely obfuscated in a sort of dystopic Fellini-esque macabreβ¦yet theyβre groovy. While his dancers cheerily go about their choreography, Jonathan eerily strikes a contrapposto positionβhis quiet spectacle haunting the stage while the vocals begin. His songs are minimal, but the impact is maximal as Bree serenades his brand of melancholic yet hooky pop tunes such as βYouβre So Cool,β βWaiting On The Moment,β βValentine,β and the new βMiss Youβ (featuring label-mate and ex-Brunette Princess Chelsea and legendary rhythm guitarist Nile Rogers), plus the dreamy new βEpicureanβ and βPre-Code Hollywoodβ singles off his new album of the same name. Finishing the evening with an encore of βSteel And Glassβ, the crowd was made true believers in Breeβs craftsmanship in shaping a night to remember. If you havenβt seen his highly theatrical brand of ennui, please do yourself a favor next time heβs in town and look for the man in white.
Marion Raw
Francis Lung
Audience Reviews
Jonathan Breeβs anonymous, masked persona sucked me in right away as soon as he took the stage with his equally anonymously spandex-masked band members following, populating their stations. I could not tell you who the fabulous female dancer was (Heather Mansfield?) but she danced with Bob Fosse vibes and finesse, and joined in at times with divine vocals of her own and added a flute melody towards the end of the set that pushed their music to another level of heaven while JB played guitar. Their orchestral pop and their stage presence was mesmerizing, accentuated with linear red hue of their stage lighting. Itβs refreshing to see bands perform with such theatrical presentation and agility with minimal back track and mostly all played live. JBβs voice is so fluid and soothing, he delivered the tune with ease and style. I donβt know much about his background except that heβs from New Zealand and that he was part of a group called Brunettes that included Heather Mansfield. Jonathan Breeβs anonymous, masked persona sucked me in right away as soon as he took the stage with his equally anonymously spandex-masked band members following, populating their stations. I could not tell you who the fabulous female dancer was (Heather Mansfield?) but she danced with Bob Fosse vibes and finesse, and joined in at times with divine vocals of her own and added a flute melody towards the end of the set that pushed their music to another level of heaven while JB played guitar. Their orchestral pop and their stage presence was mesmerizing, accentuated with linear red hue of their stage lighting. Itβs refreshing to see bands perform with such theatrical presentation and agility with minimal back track and mostly all played live. JBβs voice is so fluid and soothing, he delivered the tune with ease and style.
-Steven Han