Black Country, New Road - Live At Bush Hall (LP)

Black Country, New Road’s Live at Bush Hall feels like walking into a turning point and finding it warm, communal and a little bit chaotic in the best way. Recorded across three December 2022 nights at Bush Hall in Shepherd’s Bush, London, it captures the band rebuilding after Isaac Wood’s departure, not by reaching back to old favourites, but by writing a whole new set and sharing the mic. It landed in early 2023 on Ninja Tune, and it plays like a proof of life that is tender, funny and quietly gutsy.

The first thing that hits is how welcoming it all sounds. Up Song opens with that now-famous chant, look at what we did together, BCNR friends forever, and you can hear the room believe it. Tyler Hyde leads with a grin in her voice, bass bubbling underneath, while Georgia Ellery’s violin tucks small melodic curls into the corners. It is an overture and a pep talk rolled into one, and when they reprise it at the end, it feels earned.

Across these recordings the band rotate vocalists in a way that never feels like a gimmick. Hyde brings luminous pop instincts to Across the Pond Friend and I Won’t Always Love You, songs that lean into openness without smoothing away the band’s quirks. Lewis Evans steps forward on The Boy and Laughing Song, his sax folding back into the arrangements with a reediness that gives everything a lived-in texture. Then there is May Kershaw, whose ballads carry the room on a thread. Turbines Pigs is the centrepiece, piano-led and fragile for minutes on end before it swells, drums blooming under her voice, guitar and sax climbing in careful steps. It is one of those live takes where you hear a band hold its nerve.

Part of the magic is the setting. Bush Hall is a small, ornate room and the band leant into that intimacy with a school play vibe across the three themed nights, complete with handmade backdrops that change from show to show. The album stitches the best performances into a cohesive narrative, yet you still hear the space breathe. Crowd chatter, a laugh here and there, the collective hush before a chorus. That choice matters. Lots of live releases polish away the room. This one invites you to stand among the punters.

The players sound like a unit. Charlie Wayne’s drumming gives the set a gentle spine, busy without being fussy. Luke Mark’s guitar is less about big riffs and more about shading, always ready to step back when Ellery’s violin or Evans’ sax needs air. You can tell they arranged these songs together, building parts with the kind of listening that only comes from months of road-testing new material.

It helps that the songs themselves are strong. The Boy has a storybook lilt that masks a twinge of melancholy. Laughing Song loosens the shoulders and then sneaks in a bittersweet line. Across the Pond Friend is pure release, a reminder that this band can write choruses that walk out with you. And Turbines Pigs, again, feels like a new cornerstone, patient and devastating without showboating.

Critics caught on quickly, and fans did too. The concert film racked up plenty of word-of-mouth, and the live album earned praise for doing something most live records do not, acting as a bridge to a new era rather than a victory lap. If you are digging through a Melbourne record store and you spot Live at Bush Hall vinyl, grab it. The pressing gives the low end some welcome heft, and it is a fine entry point if you want Black Country, New Road albums on vinyl that show the band’s range in one sitting. For collectors ticking off Black Country, New Road vinyl, this sits neatly alongside For the First Time and Ants From Up There while telling its own story.

There is a nice circularity to how it all lands. The band lost a frontman and chose community. They wrote new songs and shared the spotlight. They recorded the proof in a small west London venue with banners and hand-painted signs, and you can still feel the glue and gaffer tape in the edges. If you are looking to buy Black Country, New Road records online, this is the one I would recommend without hesitation, especially if you are in Australia and want something that translates beautifully on a good system. It belongs in the conversation when people talk about live records that matter, and it earns that spot by being honest about the work of carrying on.