The Bracknall “Just Keep Getting Better” – SOLD-OUT London 229 Club Review

2 December 2025 rocknews

Essex-based grassroots guitar band The Bracknall played their final 2025 headline show to a sold out 229 Club in Regents Park. It capped a really successful year for the independent band whose second album Falling Out of View peaked at number 3 in the independent album chart with the crowdfunded project even entering into the main official top 100. Other highlights of the year have been a U.K. tour and several festivals including two well received performances at the Isle of Wight Festival including one on the main Big Top stage.

Fresh from supporting The Enemy in Margate and Oxford, The Bracknall are Jack and Harry Dacey providing the vocals and guitar, Dan Hurley on drums, and the multi instrumentalist Eddie Smith on guitar and keyboards. Mitch Ayling from Milk band , who also produced much of the first album, guested on bass for the show. Warmed up by The Pedestrian Band, and a solid set from The Crooks, the Collier Row four piece owned the stage from the very first notes of the opening No Way Back For Me. The band have grown a passionate and loyal fanbase since releasing their debut album Going Nowhere Fast in 2022, and the audience had travelled from all around the country to attend this year’s headline curtain call.

The crowd was notable for its diverse mix of age ranges from teenagers to pensioners, and the band were in their element with every chorus sung along to, and every backing vocal sung back at them. The set list was a harmonious mixture of the first two albums with Get Better and Feeling Blue quickly followed by the first album’s title track.

The punchy Higher You Fly, Sweeter The Fall (a provisional title for album 2), was followed by Say You Won’t Be Gone, a beautifully crafted melancholic song that really emphasises that this band is not just strong vocals, fine musicians, and melodic choruses, but also a team of gifted songwriters: “…And I don’t know where we’ll end up in the morning, but where we are right now that seems ok to me. Maybe this just wasn’t how we planned it, but we won’t live in no one else’s make believe..”

The varied 15 song set also contained a few surprises for the dedicated faithful. Ain’t It A Shame had previously only been played a couple of times at acoustic shows and here it was given its first full band performance. This was followed a few songs later by the first ever playing of fan favourite Frilla from the latest album – a complex multi faceted studio track that worked well as a full-on stripped back powerhouse vocal.

Old favourites aren’t forgotten though, and Good To The Bone invokes the largest audience singalong of the night – “There ain’t nowhere I’m running to, If I ain’t running right there with you” – complete with a mid-song marriage proposal in the audience! (Congratulations to Jamie and Cassie!)

In the days when 3 minute pop songs are still standard radio fodder, it’s refreshing that The Bracknall include two 6 minute classics in the form of This Music and The Ballad of Winnie and Jim. The closers from the two albums are classic rock crescendo tracks that raise the audience to a new level before the finale.

The band have for a while infilled their raucous I Don’t Understand It final track with a short part of The Stone Roses’ Love Spreads, but last night’s close had more resonance and poignancy with the dedication to the late “Mani” and the empathetic crowd reaction that created.

Where next for The Bracknall? They support The Twang at two O2 Academy dates in December, and then undertake a small nationwide tour in February with dates in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Festivals are now being booked for another busy year ahead culminating with a headline at London’s iconic Koko in December 2026.

Rather than Going Nowhere Fast, it seems the hard work, unquestionable talent and strong following, mean that ‘somewhere’ is rapidly replacing ‘nowhere’ in that phrase.

Well worth checking this band out live when they’re in your locality.

Set List: No Way Back For Me Get Better Feeling Blue Going Nowhere Fast Higher You Fly, Sweeter The Fall Say You Won’t Be Gone Ain’t It A Shame Giving Up Again Good To The Bone Frilla This Music Falling Out of View Make It Happen Ballad of Winnie and Jim I Don’t Understand It

The Bracknall are: Jack Dacey – Lead Vocal and guitar Harry Dacey – Guitar Eddie Smith – Keyboards and guitar Dan Hurley – Drums Mitch Ayling – Guest bassist