Since Brand New announced this intimate EU tour, they've actually unleashed their first new song in five years and it's the rollicking 'Mene' which kick-starts proceedings tonight.
Initially the crowd is surprisingly sedate, particularly as the band have never headlined in the Spanish city before, but it doesn't take long for them to find their feet and voices. When 'You Won't Know' is unleashed, a surprisingly early appearance for a song traditionally reserved for the conclusion of shows, the room explodes as frontman Jesse Lacey shreds his vocal chords on his own twisted lyricism.
Nothing in tonight's show is a direct replica from the studio versions. From Lacey's deviating vocal melodies to the addition of a second drummer across songs like 'Sink', there is always a tantalising edge to Brand New's live performance. Quite a relief seeing as the band only make studio jaunts on a bi-decade basis. Tonight guitarist Vinnie Accardi's searing riffs are bolstered by a new pedal set-up. The effect sees 'Millstone' transformed into a warzone frontline complete with thrashing air raid sirens.
'Brothers' provides a rare treat for the more canny members of the audience. Starting life as an ill-fated demo which was leaked online just before the release of The Devil and God, the band have finally started to embrace the lost material. Tongue-in-cheek advertising has even gone so far as to suggest that those songs could see a full release in the not-too-distant future. 'Brothers' of 2015 has been layered-up from the Lacey solo effort which first arrived a decade ago. The track now lies atop the irony that Lacey's brother has since joined the armed forces, a concept which sits quite at odds with the "I'll be dead before you but a gun on my brother's hand". Points like that, alongside the band's carefree approach to playing live at the moment, suggest that Brand New are finally starting to appreciate their own creativity and take themselves a little less seriously.
While 'Jesus Christ' doesn't hold quite the same sway as previous set closers, it prompts a huge singalong befitting of a band who have ploughed their furrow for 15 years with little mainstream reward. When they return to the stage to offer an encore, it's not the scheduled 'Play Crack The Sky' which draws proceedings to a close. Instead Lacey ralleys the troops and offers up the requested 'The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows', the closest thing the band have had to a breakout hit.
With further dates on the horizon for September 2015 and the unspoken promise of further new material, tonight may be the point at which Brand New's second coming really begins to gather momentum.
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