It's time for some Monsta jams

Back in 2008, there was a man called Bryn Christopher. He had a stunning voice, one rather glorious hit single (this one), and a very sweaty stage show. Then he vanished, faster than that packet of mini eggs I found in the cupboard yesterday.

But Bryn is back, Back, BACK! Also a bit like those mini eggs, which have been repeating on me all morning. Urgh.

He's now the singer in Monsta, where he's joined by knob-twiddlers Rufio and Rocky. According to the press release, Rufio and Rocky are "better known as hot production duo Pegasus". Really? Because I've never heard of hot production duo Pegasus. Type their names into Google, and all you find are articles about Monsta which - surprise, surprise - all say "Rufio and Rocky and better known as production duo Pegasus". Talk about making your own reality.

Anyway, a bit more digging reveals that that Pegasus did a remix for one-hit wonder Daisy Dares You (which was surprisingly good, given the source material) and that their manager once used Facebook to blag them tickets for The Saturdays' Album Launch Party. This interview also claims that Rufio once played in a jazz fusion band with Michael Kiwanuka.

Good Lord.

But I'm being unkind here. What has happened in the past has no bearing on the future, and Monsta's future looks very good indeed. Their new single, Holding On, will burst our of your speakers ka-blam like a sonic shockwave. If Chase and Status remixed a lost Gnarls Barkley single, it might sound like this - IE very exciting indeed.



Destroya is a slightly older track but no less magnificent. It showcases how the band's thudding basslines and production smarts cushion Bryn's huge voice. If you compare it to his earlier solo material, where the vocals tended to swamp the music, you get an idea of how well the trio work together.



Finally, this bugged out cover of Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine is spectacular. What's more, it's free to download.



Alternative headlines for this article included:
:: The Monsta Mash
:: Loch Noise Monsta
:: Here be Monstas
:: What's that coming over the hill? Is it a Monsta? (Yes, it is.)
:: I am not a Monsta. I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy she's poisoned. So this other boy would go to town on her. (which is an obscure 30 Rock quote)

I think I chose the right one.

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So Bryn Christopher, then

Last night we ended up in the place that used to be seedy Soho strip club Raymond's Revue Bar to watch Bryn Christopher 'showcase' his new 'material' (this is music industry jargon for "playing some of his songs", fact fans).

Disappointingly, there were no Pringles or vol au vents, but Bryn and his T4-esque good looks managed to distract our attention from the shoddy catering arrangements for a good 45 minutes or so.

In a nutshell, here's what you can expect when his album comes out later this year:



The highlight of the night was his current single The Quest - the lyrics of which, I recently discovered, are based on his brother's experiences fighting with the British Army in Iraq. This came about five songs into his set, and it marked the point where Bryn really came to life. He stopped prowling the stage and stood firm behind the microphone, belting out the lyrics with the amazing set of pipes he was hiding underneath his Fred Perry t-shirt.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have the same emotional investment in the rest of his material - churning out some pretty anaemic funk throughout the course of the evening. But when he gets the right material - one song called Stay With Me* was worthy of Marvin Gaye - he's definitely one to watch.

The Quest is out this week - here's a reminder:

Bryn Christopher - The Quest


* Or maybe not. There may have been drink consumed by this stage.

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Newsflash

1) I am still in Cannes.
2) Madonna is also in Cannes.
3) I am not in Cannes with Madonna.
4) This single is great.

Bryn Christopher - The Quest


Do not believe people who say Bryn Christopher is the "male Amy Winehouse". He is, in fact, the British Cee-Lo Green.

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