This Osaka three piece isn’t reinventing the wheel – heavy, hard and dark grunge throwback with some sweetness sprinkled on top, modern Hot Topic fashion, beautiful band members. But do we always need to keep reinventing the wheel? Brandy Senki shows us that maybe we don’t! Wheels are just fine as they are!

Their set brought just the right amount of energy for the Red Marquee Saturday morning opening slot. Their songs had enough pop sensibility and movement to stay engaging, but also enough darkness and creativity to keep things a little dangerous and unpredictable. A lot of familiar riffs and chord structures calling back to their alternative rock forefathers, but not just pastiche.

Special shout-out to Minori, who really knew her way around her bass. She played with a kind of casual confidence, adding a much needed layer of melody and intricacy to the set. On songs like The End of the F***ing World she even showed off some of her funk chops. Set MVP.

Songs like Fix also showed the band’s sensitive side, highlighting guitar vocalist Hazuki’s strong but tender vocals. Her singing showed vulnerability, but her guitar playing and stage presence showed strength, and the balance really helped the set.

All in all the band played together well, and when they pushed themselves out of the box they created some memorable sonic moments. Although they are a relatively new band, I’m sure with time they will age and mature like a fine…erm… brandy…