Music / Reviews
Review: Cruz Beckham & the Breakers, Exchange – ‘He’s having fun, they’re having fun’
Is it possible to go into this show without preconceptions?
With only three songs released it’s hard to know what to expect musically tonight, and it’s immediately clear that’s not why most of the audience are here anyway.
Tweenagers and chaperones abound, girls pout into cameras and boys stand patiently, unerringly attentive to their wide-eyed girlfriends already sporting ‘Cruz Beckham and the Breakers’ t-shirts.
There’s talk of manifesting David, comparisons to Sabrina Carpenter’s last show, a few lines of Wannabe from a high-spirited mum, and someone thinks that support Reece Bibby will probably be better than whatever Cruz turns out to be like.
View this post on Instagram
Squeezing behind a group of excited girls at the front, cameras poised in readiness a mere 30 minutes early, I swallow the cynicism.
How brilliant that they’re being initiated into this place: a celebrated community-owned venue that has welcomed countless punk-rock bands onto its stage.
Cruz may not have the credibility – yet – of those acts but to his credit he’s brought kids into a grassroots venue for the first time to see live music as up close and personal as you can get.
Then he arrives, launching into a surprisingly enjoyable jangly sunshine-indie number, and I begin to wonder: how personal is this going to get?
Cruz played a selection of pricey looking guitars through the set including a multi-coloured Gibson and a Flying V
From the off, Cruz catches eyes and love-bombs the impressionable front row with lopsided smiles, breathy ‘hi’s and waves to the ubiquitous cameras, to the fans’ obvious delight.
I’m aware he can’t win; it’s not an unusual tactic to try to get fans onboard by engaging directly, and another musician acting in the same way might be seen as genuine and friendly.
But there’s a power dynamic at play which is anything but usual. The audience are here to see a nepo-baby in action, to be in the presence of a multi-millionaire, to be noticed by the child of David and Victoria. Purely because that’s who he is.
I can’t accuse Cruz of outright cynicism but he sure as hell must know the power of his smile, and he’s not afraid to wield it.
View this post on Instagram
And privilege grants an enviable amount of access: even in the age of TikTok fame a band this new would be lucky to half fill the Exchange on their debut tour, let alone sell it out before dropping in to venues like Berlin’s Metropol and Amsterdam’s Melkweg further down the line.
He’s yet to prove himself, but he’s making a good start tonight.
The band appear to have come from a post-polo champagne reception, all summer shirts, wafty chinos and shades.
But Beckham can play, guitarist Telmo Seixas definitely has the chops, throwing out face contorting, knee jerking solos, and later bassist Dan Ewins tells me he’s played this stage before, in “some r’n’b thing, years ago”.
He also says the four met as mutual mates of Jackie Apostel, Cruz’s girlfriend, and have been playing together for years – though reports are this configuration formed only a few months ago so I’m not sure I can trust his assertion that they all write the music together, with Cruz taking the lead on “a bunch of these songs” (further reports refer to creative collaborators from the US, who also had a hand in Violet Grohl’s new single).
The music is catchy in places, with bouncy melodies and fuzzy guitars, and an obvious vintage influence laid bare with a paeon to John Lennon followed by a cover of Revolution after Cruz declares the Beatle his favourite artist of all time.
Cruz dons a vintage Hofner bass to play a song he dedicates to his love, Victoria’s Secret model Jackie Apostel
The band’s influence is worn on the Breakers’ sleeve, in the song structures, guitar and vocal sounds – see single For Your Love – and even the instruments, with Ewins rocking a classic McCartney Hofner bass which Cruz dons at one point to accompany a song written for his love.
The pair are inseparable; as if to prove it Jackie pops up unexpectedly in the crowd before the encore, to great excitement. She looks like a model and smells like a Harrods cosmetics counter. She cosies up to the tweens and allows a selfie. Someone’s night, year, or lifetime is made.
It is at this point that I remember that Beckham is the son of a Spice Girl, and perhaps there’s an innate reason he’s on that stage.
For all Posh and Becks have become symbols of celebrity now, high profile personalities disassociated from former talent, skill or achievement, once upon a time before Cruz was even a twinkle in the eye of one of the world’s best midfielders his mum was a popstar.
He made his onstage debut age three, at Madison Square Gardens in 2008, breakdancing to Mama.
So maybe there is some music in his veins.
Beckham and band look like they’re having the time of their life; playing grassroots venues is where the good stuff is, even for a multi-millionaire
And instrumentally the band is on point, if derivative, but the lyrical naivety is notable.
Optics makes oblique references to drugs and 69s, the aforementioned lovesong references “your pretty face” and moans “don’t want to get wet in the rain, just want to get into your pain” with the chorus apparently simply “you’re right” over and over again, which is one way to hold on to your model girlfriend I suppose.
Then there’s Lick the Toad: an homage to hallucinogens that rhymes “weed is in the air” with “babes in underwear”, it’s clearly tongue-in-cheek and designed to bust that clean-cut Brand Beckham image, but it’s abit silly and musically uninspired.
It’s at times touchingly clear this is only the band’s third headline show, but Cruz’s amiable demeanour is endearing and employing the room to sing happy birthday to his guitar tech (who, delightfully, sports a ‘Crews Beckham’ t-shirt) is a classy move.
The largely uptempo mix of Stone Roses-esque indie with a touch of psych and occasional disco beat keeps the room dancing throughout.
But despite a brief surprise appearance of a Flying V it starts to verge dangerously close to MOR and personally I am restless even before the band repeats single For Your Love again as an encore.
Whatever. Nepo-baby he may be, but it’s a start and it sure isn’t the worst I’ve heard.
Cruz and band have convincingly entertained a packed room for 45 minutes. He’s having fun; they’re having fun. Who am I to judge?
Big Geoff wasn’t down the front at this gig but Grandmas House were in attendance – maybe to catch the Busted / McFly tribute acts in the basement?
All photos: Ursula Billington
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
