Brooke Combe is a multi-instrumentalist from Edinburgh whose sole mission is to bring soul music back to Britain. Armed with a strong, sultry voice, she first rose to prominence with a well-timed cover of ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ back in 2021, and has since released a string of solid singles, culminating with the release of her debut album Black is the New Gold earlier this year.
Brooke Combe is clearly immersed in the soul world. She has a Motown tattoo on her arm, and one of the highlights of her recent gig at the SWG3 was an excellent cover of Childish Gambino’s ‘Redbone’ (derived from Bootsy Collins’ ‘I’d Rather Be With You’). However, Combe cites a wide variety of musical influences – although she is clearly in the lineage of British female soul singers, it’s easy to hear some Arctic Monkeys-esque guitar riffs in there. Combe has also expressed a desire to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Capaldi and Gerry Cinnamon in finding mainstream success in the Scottish market.
Photo credit – Ross Kinnon
After seeing her sold-out gig at the 1000-person capacity SWG3 TV Studio, this kind of success doesn’t seem at all out of the question. It was interesting to see the broad demographic in attendance: from the old men lured forth (presumably) by the promise of fresh, contemporary soul music informed by the sounds of the past, to the youngsters engaged with her messages of positivity and self-affirmation in an age of social media-induced insecurity and anxiety, there is evidently a broad market for the music Combe is making.
‘Black is the New Gold’ was one of Combe’s strongest tracks, espousing a message of black empowerment underpinned by a cool, subtle flute hook. There are a few tracks which have a definite chart appeal: the understated but intense ‘Are You With Me?’ recalls the on-the-beat marching effect of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ or Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’, while ‘A-Game’ sports a punchy drum line under a satisfyingly choppy guitar loop.
Combe engaged excitedly and enthusiastically with the audience, expressing an endearing appreciation and gratitude for their support. She moved around the stage with confidence, picking up her guitar for one track, before dropping it to dance or sit at the keyboard for the next. The result was an impressive stage presence for such a young artist.
While the omnipresent backing track enables this kind of flexibility on stage, it also comes at the expense of some of the spontaneity and musical interplay which is arguably an important facet of a good live soul band. The rest of the band were tight, but also stuck quite faithfully to the original parts.
Photo credit – Ross Kinnon
Given Combe’s origins are in DIY bedroom production, and her breakthrough success came in large part through social media, it is unsurprising to see this approach at her show. A growing reliance on musical synchronicity, dynamism and band-leadership is something that should hopefully come naturally as Combe matures as an artist and gains confidence in the live arena.
As far as catchy, high-impact songwriting goes, Brooke Combe is on to a winner. As for her stated mission of bringing soul back to Britain, however, there’s still more work and more musical exploration to be done. The result is a sound that’s more Amy Macdonald than Amy Winehouse – neither, obviously, being an unflattering comparison. Time will tell if Brooke Combe can go some way to filling the sizeable boots left by the latter.
Interested in music and economic history
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