Thirty years ago, Republica launched into the music world with their self-titled debut album. Since then, the world around them has changed beyond recognition countless times. Inside The Brook in Southampton, it felt like the past thirty years had been untouched. A small timeless time capsule.
Before Republica rolled back the years, we were treated to management stablemates and personal favourites of mine, Trampolene. It still feels surreal when they pay a visit to Southampton (My hometown) and a sense of familiarity up on the stage.
The welsh band are designed for a stage like The Brook. The stage is so high it feels like it’s in a different postcode and frontman Jack Jones slopes above the audience with the perfect snapshot of the crown of heads below.
Joined by Mr Williams (Drums), Wayne Thomas (Bass) and Lee Thomas (Guitar), they’ve recently announced their fifth studio album ‘Made In Wales’ and waisted no time in playing new tracks like ‘What You Gonna Do About It’, ‘Help Me Get Off My Face’ and the recently released ‘Killing Me Sarah’.
Running short on time towards the end of their allocated slot, Jones offered a sacrilege to die hard Trampolene fans. The audience were asked to choose between their two biggest songs ‘Uncle Brians Abattoir’ and ‘Alcohol Kiss’. The former took the win this time.
Jones’s dad hails from the city, so he took the opportunity to work The Dell, St Mary’s Stadium and the Itchen Toll Bridge into the performance, quipping “That mad bridge where you have to pay 50p to go over”. It’s been a while since he’s been in town, it’s actually £1.20 these days.
Republica’s self-titled album arrived in 1996 and was a revolutionary blend of genres for the time. Saffron’s (Samantha Sprackling) unmistakeable vocal delivery combined with rock guitars and tracks like ‘Ready To Go’ and ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ would help Republica achieve platinum status.
Serving as one of Southampton’s premier grassroots venues, The Brook suits an anniversary in this regard. Housed in a Victorian building, with a wrap-around balcony that cloaks the entire stage. As Trampolene left the stage and made way for Republica, there was a sense of history and nostalgia building into the packed-in room.
The rest of the band, including Maxine Cahill on guitar and Steve Hewitt on drums, took to the stage and assumed position before Saffron staggered out to tumultuous cheers and applause. The excitement in the room built slowly before they ripped into ‘Bloke’ and ‘Rush Hour With Love’.
When celebrating a memorable anniversary, it’s easy for bands to fall into the trap of allowing memories to do a lot of heavy lifting. This wasn’t one of those nights. Of course when ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ came halfway through the set, the room lost its mind.
Republica’s catalogue of music did a lot the talking for itself. Saffron wandered and meandered effortlessly around the stage, making it her own. She didn’t shy away from being able to see the white’s of poeple’s eyes and seemingly basked in the opportunity to connect up close and personal with the fans.
This continued throughout tracks like ‘Christiana Obey’ and ‘New York’. The set rounded off with a victory lap performance of ‘Ready To Go’. The crowd roared into life, joining Saffron as backing singers until she ripped into the chorus.
The band left the stage to a burst of praise and adoration, that ringed around the wooden floorboards and beams propping up the ancient building. But they weren’t quite done. The band retook the stage, with fast paced drums and a wiring guitar hook. Saffron emerged from the shadows to give one final bellow on ‘Holly’.
As the crowd came down from the night they’d just had, the band took a selfie with the room at large and Saffron was found a short while after interacting with fans at the merch desk, signing albums and greeting her fanbase with the same appreciation she had thirty years before.
I think the biggest test of an anniversary show like this, is whether the songs felt alive in the room. Republica were always going to win crowds over with ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ and ‘Ready To Go’, but it’s the songs in-between.
As I cast my eye around the room in other moments during the set, people were bouncing, head-nodding and singing throughout the night. They were even engaged in Saffron’s ramblings that occur frequently in-between songs.
Thirty years on, Republica’s legacy isn’t relying solely on that first tour or album. New branches and memories are being forged each night, in grassroots venues across the country.
Written by Brad Halcrow for The Songbird HQ