BreatheBreatheOver the last few years Breathe have become
one of the most outrageously popular bands in the North - reflected
by supports with acts as 
diverse as Stereophonics, Travis, Terrorvision and
Chris Helme. Playing their brand of post-punk "panto"
rock they place emphasis on captivating the audience with witty,
well-structured songs and a stage show which typifies exactly
what live music should be all about.
Breathe recently won a nationally sponsored music competition and were awarded sufficient money and studio time to work on their long-awaited CD - look out for it's release. The future's looking bright for this phenomenal band, with international gigs now lined up in France and the USA.
Total entertainment is the band's philosophy and that has to be visual as well as audible - a Breathe gig is full of humour and sarcastic grown-up rock, but certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Breathe's superhero of a frontman, Justin Jamieson, has come a long way since the drunken Blakey Jam Session when his mates dared him get up and sing for the very first time. Never one to mince his words - Justin introduces the band and updates us with recent developments : -
"Breathe have been together in their present line-up since mid '97 :-
So, what of those impressive supports
we mentioned earlier? - "We
tore strips from the Stereophics (July '98), demonstrated to Travis
"That all 
WE want to do is Rock" (they supported us!),
Terrorvision gave us a run for our money, but Al saved the day
by consuming their rider (June '97). This year we took on Buffy
the Vampire Slayer's house band (Four Star Mary) and sucked them
dry, and explained to Scandinavian pop-tart, Bellatrix, exactly
what it's like to be left out in the cold!"
"Having just returned from a residency in Nice, France, we will be blagging a couple of university balls starting in Stockton on Friday 29/9. October - the traditional Friday the 13th slot at Fibbers (York) is ours again (be afraid, very afraid !). Boxing Day sees the band heading out to Nice for the New Year and in April 2001 we're off to the USA with gigs lined up in New York, San Francisco, LA and Chicago - then it's back to the Nice Music Festival (45,000 people)."
"During this we will complete our first full album - including favourites like "She's got a Face Like ...............", "Feel my Disease" and "John Wayne" and with probably the most controversial artwork since Ritchie Manic thought he would shave his own arm hair!"
Snappy, post-punky pop is spiced up and
spiked through by the roving voice and stand-up gagaholic Justin
Jamieson. Bouncy bass, effected guitars, driving drums. Comfortably
predictable melodies, but ever disconcerting, twisted, tortuous
lyrics. Justin is constrained by space tonight so he paces like
a caged beast, finding his release through his barbed and hilarious
tongue. A real experience........ EVENING GAZETTE, TEESSIDE.
Breathe are the inheritors of a very important crown in rock n' roll - that of the rock stars who scare and confront their audience. The Sex Pistols did it with pent up anger, Frank Zappa did it with surrealism and general weirdness, Marilyn Mansun does it with lots of make-up, but Breathe do it with Justin Jamieson's acerbic and vicious wit. Standing in the crowd of a Breathe gig is a unique experience, you'll never know when your time will be up and you'll be the recipient of one of his jokes, put-downs or come-ons ..........CAPITAL NIGHTS, LONDON.
As a stage show, what this York band do is pretty unique. Their lead singer follows the Iggy Pop method of performance - the stage is simply a place from where to start the gig. For the rest of the time he's in the thick of the crowd, perched on the speaker stacks or balancing precariously on tables. At one point he even stretches his mike lead to breaking point by running out of the venue to berate a couple of leaving punters. With gigs like these, Breathe are one of those very bands you feel the need to tell people about the next day - "You won't believe what I saw this guy do last night !" ...........EXPRESS, LEEDS.
I didn't realise this boy was in my class ...... Justin's maths teacher, school report, Lady Lumley's School, Pickering.
Because there is so much to see at a Breathe gig and the singer's in-between-song banter that tends to leave you in hysterics, their actual songs don't always get reviewed as much as they should. But Breathe's music is a heady mixture of funky guitar chops, full on rock and sublimely delicate ballads. From the glorious "Sheena and Lenny" with it's powerful refrain "kill myself for the last time", to the sneeringly dancey "Stupid Town" to the beautiful "Walks Like John Wayne" - Breathe's songs are hook-filled and as catchy as a fisherman with a really big hook ........LICHFIELD MERCURY, STAFFORDSHIRE.
Breathe were excellent, with Justin on vocals commanding the attention and demonstrating the art of stand-up comedy fused with dominating vocals, all forcefully glued together like Araldite with their fusion punk / pop ........KEEP IT LIVE MAGAZINE.
"She Walks Like John Wayne" is one of those songs that most bands would kill their mother to write. After the full-on, in-your-face rock of the previous songs "John Wayne" comes as a surprise to most people - but Breathe are about surprises and contradictions if nothing else. Amazingly, for a sweaty mosh pit on a Saturday night, everyone shuts the f**k up and just listens to this lush ballad. Despite having seen countless gigs in my career and being fairly objective about most bands "John Wayne" was one of those few occassions when you remember why you liked music in the first place. It was full-on hairs on the back of your neck time and despite hearing it only once I was singing it for the next week at least ..........THE REVIEW, BRISTOL.
The only man in the world who makes alopecia look cool ........:HERE MAGAZINE, YORK.
There are very few people in this world who make good rock stars, Breathe's frontman Justin Jamieson is one of them. Legends from various gigs are passed around from music fan to music fan. His on stage nurses outfit, the infamous flashing incident, wrestling audience members to the ground in order to give them huge lovebites (and that's just the boys), telling people that his alopecia splattered head is a result of cancer and getting drinks bought for him all night. Playing red-neck bars and being offered outside because he's wearing nail varnish, playing impromptu street gigs and just generally making himself noticed and notorious. All of these legends make him a prime candidate for being a rock legend. He's challenging, rude, witty, dangerous, exciting and cool as f**k - and most of today's "stars" pale by comparison .......THE BOMB, STOKE ON TRENT.
Sad News...BREATHE R.I.P. Breathe split up in February 2002, if you're lucky you might catch Justin performing in and around Nice, France
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