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After performing at the multi-national Country 2 Country Festival in March 2024, where they appeared in the main support slot to the headliner Old Dominion (although, most in attendance will confirm that the headliners had a tough act to follow), Maryland-duo Brothers Osborne made good on their promise to return real soon. With Glasgow getting not one, but two shows.
Striking while the goodwill from C2C is still ringing in their ears, brothers TJ Osborne (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and John Osborne (lead guitar, background vocals) – along with a killer backing band – hit the UK & Ireland for a run of 10 shows (their biggest headlining shows to date) that easily could have been scuppered had Storm Eowyn landed a few days earlier.
The opening act for the run of shows is Tyler Braden, a singer-songwriter, and ex-firefighter from Montogomery, Alabama. He must be feeling the cold though because he is still wearing his jacket in the cauldron-like heat of the venue (sold out, completely sold out, and sold out as in you-cannot-move-sold-out).
Over the following 30 minutes, he knocks it out of the park and provides a masterclass lesson in how to entertain an audience that, except for a handful of those in the know, are mostly experiencing the likable guy for the first time.
It’s not just the easily-identifiable qualities to be found during songs such as ‘More Than A Prayer’, and ‘Thank Me For That’ that give Braden the edge over other opening acts; it’s also his warmth and the genuine ability to make the audience feel like they have been along for the ride since day one.
As the set heads to its conclusion (and after a huge singalong to the real Scottish National Anthem – ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers) Braden mentions that the next song is in the set as a favor to his Mother who happens to be in the photo pit at the front, and she requested it. Elvis’s ‘(You’re the) Devil in Disguise’ starts up and Braden brings a gnarly quality to the original that has Mama Braden looking on proudly (check out the footage on Braden’s socials). Perhaps his turn on this tour will have the same effect for Braden as appearing at C2C had for Brothers Osborne and catapult him onto larger headline shows of his own.
Taken from 2023’s self-titled album, ‘Might as Well Be Me’ is a fantastic set-opener as it highlights the full range of the Brothers Osborne. The church-like Hammond organ intro sets the scene as flashes of strobe lighting bring John Bonham-esque hits from hard-hitting drummer Adam Box. Each hit is met with bursts of heavy, wailing guitar drenched in feedback from John Osborne. The stage is still only partly illuminated but every flash of white light highlights the figures of both Osbornes taking their place front and center. Once the full lights come on, the place erupts. The combination of TJ Osborne’s deep, warm, welcoming vocals and John’s gorgeous rolling guitar licks – and a stunning guitar solo – is nothing short of sensational.
Country music has always had great guitar players; Glenn Campbell for one. His work as part of the famed session ensemble The Wrecking Crew is seminal; then there are guys like Brad Paisley, and Keith Urban, both great players. But in John Osborne, Brothers Osborne has an exceptional player. Constantly changing between a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Telecaster, and with his long hair blowing, he looks every inch the guitar god as he peels off lick after lick, and impresses at every turn. ‘Shoot Me Straight’ is a great example of this. Most guitar heads in the crowd would have been satisfied with the solo during the song, but then the band throws a curveball by stretching the song out with an extended jam Allman Brothers Band-like that again sees them crossing the border into heavier, blues-based material more in the Led Zeppelin range. The lighting engineer has their finger stuck on the strobe light button and it’s fierce. Before John takes to a riser to peel off another stunning solo, there is a brief moment where the jam takes on a slight hint of the jam that Aerosmith launches into midsong during ‘Sweet Emotion’.
Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and the Rolling Stones are all great rock n’ roll bands with a common connection that they had that magical combination of the singer and the lead guitarist playing off each other, and that same combination can be found in everything that Brothers Osborne produces. On the live stage, it is amplified a thousand-fold. Everything goes through the brothers. The chemistry is, obviously, natural. But unlike some bands with siblings (Oasis, The Black Crowes) these two seem happy in each other’s company.
After a dip in tempo for ‘I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)’ and a gorgeous version of ‘Weed, Whiskey, and Willie’ the band floors it for a roof-raising cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Won’t Back Down’ that highlights the interplay between John Osborne and second guitarist Jason Graumlich. Graumlich also shines on ‘Stay a Little Longer’ when he swaps his guitar for a mandolin. He gets extra points for (as TJ points out during the band intros) coming from Glasgow…Glasgow, Kentucky. The outro on this one excels and bleeds into an extended jam that has John on one riser wailing away, while TJ is on the other, working the crowd into a frenzy while the spotlights and strobes strafe the crowd. The studio version includes a stunning three-minute guitar solo, but here in the live setting, it is something special and takes on magical qualities.
As TJ states on ‘Might as Well Be Me’: “Somebody gotta shake things up…Might as well be me” – and shake things up, Brothers Osborne certainly do.
Brothers Osborne continues in the UK until January 30th when they close the tour at the Eventim Apollo in London, tickets for all dates are available here. On this form, they will be back in 2026 to headline the arenas with Country 2 Country.
Review – Dave
Images – Natalie Osborne/Katie Kauss
