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The Junction, Plymouth
Sunday 26th April 2026
Review and photos – Rob Wilkins
Continuing the theme of being able to enjoy some amazing music without having to travel several hours to Bristol or Cardiff, The Junction rock pub just twenty minutes away in Plymouth hosts Oli Brown and his Dead Collective alongside Glasgow’s Anchor Lane.
Somewhat uniquely, the lineup tonight features no bass players whatsoever! Both bands performing being trios with twin guitars and a drummer!
Opening the evening are Anchor Lane, who make the long journey down the majority of the UK.
I first encountered the band at Steelhouse Festival in 2022 and remember being very impressed at the time, so I was looking forward to catching them again. Opening with new song, “Five Knuckle Shuffle: their ten-song set attacks from the off and shows that the intervening years haven’t dulled their sound at all. Led by the effervescent Conor Gaffney, who rarely stops moving on the tiny stage, the band appears to have bought a decent-sized fan club with them!
Some songs tend almost towards punk as the sound is raw and gritty, possibly due to the influence of new guitarist Connor Trail. Gaffney seems thrilled to be back on stage, explaining that it has been four years since their last support tour and breaks into the set to tell the story of the experience of travelling from Glasgow to Milton Keynes in an electric van, adding humour to the evening.
It’s all about the music, though, as “Fame Shame” showcases some delicious twin guitar harmony. “Bitter” is introduced into the set as a nod to The Dead Collective and is dark and melancholy, showing depths to the songwriting and creative style. “Stutter” is for me the highlight of the set. Gorgeously heavy and featuring Gaffney, both headbanging and showing off a series of impressive squats for the end of an energetic set! Most enjoyable and a perfect warm-up for the main event.
So, to the reason we are here.
Previously, “Oli Brown and The Dead Collective”, the name has been slimmed down, making the project feel more permanent. It is also more creative than simply a band playing on a stage as the band comes with their own lighting rig that is a nightmare to photograph (much uplighting and backlighting), but beautifully atmospheric, adding to the depth of each song in a unique additional dimension.
There is no setlist visible, very little audience interaction, and no theatrics; just an hour or so of lusciously layered music, sublime guitar solos, and raw, emotive vocals. I usually take advantage of the freedom of a gig at The Junction to shoot throughout the set, but after a few songs, I find a wall to lean against, pack away the camera, and simply savour every note.
“Sinking Ship”, Heard It All Before”, “Goliath”, and “Father” follow on after the other. Each atmospherically lit and within a superb sound mix that showcases not just Oli’s skill, but that of fellow guitarist Sam Wood and Wayne Proctor’s clever, intricate, and complex drumming.
“Everything You Want” takes us into the portion of the show that, for me, highlights everything that this project can deliver, firstly with “Haunted”, a complete earworm, the refrain of which I have been singing all week. There is a moment in the song, a silence, a break, a void, then Brown steps forward and unleashes a solo that spears straight into your emotions. That a song of such class is being watched in a pub rather than soaring out to a much larger audience is sinful. Then “Home Sweet Home”, where Wood takes the spotlight and showcases his own skill before Brown’s reply. Both songs together in the set, one after the other, heaven!
The set continues into “Your Love” with another solo of class and skill, but driven by sheer emotion, “Estranged” leads into new song, “Cracks”, which Oli gratefully announces is getting serious airplay (deservedly so). As an appetiser of what is to come, I can only salivate. “Falling” closes the set.
My watch appears to be lying. The set can’t have passed that quickly, can it?
I love seeing bands like this in such a small venue. It feels like I know something others don’t. I am privy to something rare and special. It can’t be long until the world catches on that The Dead Collective really are a bit special!
