For almost a decade the man behind Brass Monkey has been hopping open mics all across the north east honing his skills, finding himself and gaining invaluable experience. It was then in June 2019 that Brass Monkey debuted with the dark bluesy number Breadline. A funky bassline and a gentle southern rock flavour is the vibe that Brass Monkey was first introduced to the world but its that distinctive gravelly baritone that sticks with you and defines his sound. A further three singles have come out since that initial release all exploring various interpretations of blues rock. The second single, Nowhere, displays similar influences to Breadline but we then see a softer side to Brass Monkey with the upbeat ballad Miracle. The most recent single, Another Day, leans heavily in to the mood of Brass Monkeys guitar sound which varies from a clean bassy riff shadowing the whole tune to the slick, understated solo after the first chorus.

One of the benefits of being a solo act is the ability to experiment with your style and explore the reaches of your sound without the restricting influence of other band members. It certainly appears that Brass Monkey is showing the different faces of his character before melding those faces together for a debut album release. The plan is to hopefully have that record out by the end of the year and with the UK live music scene finally getting going again that will be accompanied with a nationwide tour.

As someone who has worked with and around bands for over a decade, Brass Monkey is familiar with some of the difficulties he is avoiding by going at it alone this time. “The best thing about working solo is that there's very little that can go wrong that isn't your own fault. Anyone who's ever organised an event knows with every extra person the potential complications multiply. I've known so many great bands miss so many gigs and opportunities through one member not coming through…”. In a way this approach suits the image of Brass Monkey that is slowly formed by his vocal tone and guitar style. I picture a travelling musician, scarred by his past, with dusty boots and a guitar slung on his back. He’s probably hitching rides on the back of trucks to get to his next gig and he’s almost certainly playing those gigs for just a sip of whiskey and a bed for the night.

Keep up to date with everything going on for Brass Monkey over at www.facebook.com/funkmonkeymetal and find his music on all major streaming services. Don’t forget to keep your ear to the ground for that debut album release later in 2022.