The G.F. Bruce Band are the band behind the music of Middlesbrough songwriter G.F. Bruce. Together with Bassist Patrick Oliver and drummer David Purton, they are renowned for their no-nonsense stage presence and catchy bass led sound. The band were formed in 2018 from the ashes of The Brucey Ripper Band as a five-piece incorporating Hammond organ and ambient synthesizers into the sound. The band reduced to four at the end of 2019 with keyboardist Patrick Oliver moving to bass for a more stripped back sound. Main influences on the writing of G.F. Bruce include Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Ryan Sambol and The Strange Boys.
2019 saw the band mainly gigging whilst Bruce wrote and recorded behind the scenes. The year began with a headline slot at Whirling Dervish and ended with a Christmas gig at Head of Steam, Newcastle. In between were gigs and festivals, amongst which the band played The Old Sawmill Garden Party, which was awarded the Grassroots Award for Outstanding New Music Festival. The year also saw the band team up with legendary Teesside jam band The Danny Kebabs to form indie record label and promotions company, Goosed Records with both bands headlining the launch party at the spiritual home of Middlesbrough’s music scene, the Westgarth Social Club.
The G.F. Bruce Band have enjoyed air time across several radio stations including BBC Tees and BBC Introducing, as well as performing live studio sessions. The start of 2020 saw the band play at Sounds Like Tees Spirit all day festival for Independent Venue Week. In April the band released their first single – ‘Intercept’ and a week later, released ‘The Demos’ (link below), a collection of 20 demos written and recorded between 2015 and 2018 including “fan’s favourite”, ‘Remind Me Endel’. This will be followed in May by the release of a self-titled album containing brand new material. The third album, ‘No Danger’ (link below), was released on 7th September.
The G.F. Bruce Band is on radio rotation with the track “Tell Me Right Now”.
Media
Interview with Point Blank Magazine
Quotes
“Melodic and dance-worthy… The G.F. Bruce Band have mastered the craft of producing a catchy bar or two.” AMPT
“Vibrant, atmospheric indie rock n’ roll with a moody twist.” Idle Noise
“Proper digging The G.F. Bruce Band… smooth as f*ck” Ste Allen – Empire Shangri–la/Be Quiet. Shout Loud!
Music
G.F. Bruce SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/gfbruce
The G.F. Bruce Band SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/user–345282664
Single – Intercept (Apple Music. Spotify link in Bio)
Album – ‘The Demos’
Album – ‘G.F. Bruce’
Video – Ordinarily Expected
Video – Strawberry For The Wounder (Late Dinner) Brand new album – ‘No Danger’
