Brooke Combe had only a guitar accompanying her at Huxleys Neue Welt, and we were already thinking about how big this could get. Opening for Jalen Ngonda, she had the attitude, presence and absolute control to make a stripped-down set feel like a very convincing introduction. She meant business and we went home with an album to listen to.
Dancing At The Edge Of The World has since been carrying our afternoons rather beautifully. Combe has so much character in her voice, from the grit she reaches for when a sentence needs some force to the warmth and closeness she brings to heartbreak. There’s plenty of classic soul and R&B in these songs, and we love how much of herself she puts into them.
“This Town” makes a great introduction, with a guitar riff and strings getting things moving before an addictive chorus makes us fairly certain we’ll be staying. We hear someone determined to chase what she wants, even if it means leaving everything comfortable behind. Combe has spoken about growing up in Dalkeith and feeling judged whether she did something good or bad. You can understand wanting a little room to get on with it.
Somehow, we’ve found ourselves singing “gotta get out of this town” as the Berlin winter approaches. Coincidence? We don’t think so.
“Shaken By The Wind” has become another easy replay. That chorus is so singable that we keep attempting the high parts regardless of our own vocal register. For the record, this writer does NOT reach that high. Still enjoys it. Still does it every time.
The album was produced by The Coral’s James Skelly, with guitarist and songwriting partner Danny Murphy central to making it with Combe. She told The List they recorded live to tape with three takes per song, which sounds like quite a bit of pressure until you hear how comfortable she is in these arrangements. Murphy’s guitar gives her plenty to work with, including the much smaller setting of “L.M.T.F.A.”.
Simple chords and little guitar phrases support one of our favourite lyrical performances on the record. So much of it comes from how she delivers the words, with hurt, character and a very clear idea of how much more of this she’s willing to entertain. It’s a classy, sassy way to tell an ex to fuck off. We dig that.
“The Last Time” has us thinking of Jalen Ngonda’s recent album, with its groovy riff and a chorus we’d happily have back a few more times. Having just seen her open for him, we’re enjoying the connection, but we’re also getting increasingly impatient to see Combe with a full band. The stripped-down set gave us a good idea of what she can do. Hearing this much happening around her makes us want the whole thing.
“Pieces” brings us closer again. We might be biased by our recent listening at Above the Crowds, but we can’t shake the thought of how good Combe could sound working with Gotts Street Park. There’s something here that puts Pip Millett in mind too, in the intimacy of the delivery and the weight a voice can give a sentence.
“If I Could Only Be Yours” has us impatient for the full-band show again. The organ and guitar give her yearning something substantial to move through, and there’s enough happening around the vocal to keep drawing us back into the arrangement. We’re already imagining that chorus coming from a stage with the whole band behind her. Banger assured.
“Lanewood Pines” is another favourite we’d like to hear that way. The melody, the chorus, that wonderfully timeless groove: it’s slightly incredible to think Combe was in her twenties making something we can imagine Etta James being comfortable with. Big praise, yes. We think she’s earned it.
“Butterfly” has found a lovely place in our rotation. Combe sounds intimate and vulnerable without losing any of her character, and we love how the song develops, opening into something cathartic. By this point, our thoughts about seeing her with a full band have started involving considerably bigger venues. She has the voice to reach them, and songs we’d happily travel to hear.
The title track makes a fitting finish. The power, vulnerability and range we’ve enjoyed across the album come together in a performance that leaves us wanting to start it again. Combe has connected the title with liberation and taking charge of her own direction. After spending this much time with the record, we’re rather invested in where she takes it.
There’s already more to hear. “How Can I Tell You? (To Love Me More)”, “Tears Won’t Lie”, “Love Was Made Of Stone” and the newly released “Passing Faces” lead towards her second album, Too Late For Tears, arriving on 5 March 2027. They’ve only encouraged the feeling we left Huxleys with.
We can’t wait to see her back in Berlin and hopefully get behind a camera and sit down for a conversation while she’s here.
Listen where you listen:
