Barbara: The Forum
9th November 2023
LIVE REVIEWS- BATH
Steve Owen
Henry and John Tydeman are brothers from Brighton and Hove and form the core of Barbara, ably accompanied by their backing band. John is the exhibitionist, the face of Barbara if you like, taking on the lead vocals he has an energy on stage that is infectious. Henry compliments him perfectly on keyboard while being slightly more subdued physically but no less part of the overall sound. Think of Pet Shop Boys dynamics and you have the idea.
There is an obvious bond between the brothers overall the sound being a collective effort and they obviously enjoy what they do. The style ranges in sound and influence from Glam Pop to Broadway creating a unique style that is developing a wide appeal. Their brand of pop music has literary influences from British pop culture from the Beatles to George Orwell.
Musically their inspiration seems to come from bands that have a bit of left field quirk like ELO, Divine Comedy and Kinks while still maintaining that wide ranging appeal. They create and love lyrics with a point to them such as those from their second single ‘These New Communications’ which is a reflection on social media. Their first single ‘BRB’ also gets an airing.
Probably a mix of being a new band, so still developing their catalogue and tonight being the tour support for Haircut 100, it was quite a short set. But what we heard was all good and look forward to looking out for more of them in the future. The Forum is an ideal venue as the tour hit Bath and would have given them a good opportunity of picking up some future fans for what promises to be the new phenomenon of Barbara.