Brooke Combe braced for an all-conquering path ahead

Even as the memory of that night comes back to her, the Edinburgh native feels the weight of history bearing down. Almost as soon as the show was over, she felt that something important had just taken place.

Combe, whose stock has risen considerably in recent months, takes The Weekender back behind the curtain in the moments before stepping before a sold-out Tut's. A feat touted long before, and a springboard for what is to come.

"I just felt then and there that this was the start of it all," she recalls. "This was what I have wanted to do since I was tiny.

"I was standing at the stairs, just in the backstage area, and I started to hear the song I come out to. The band all goes out first and then it was just a minute of me, alone, just behind those doors. My heart was racing.

"I could hear everyone out there, all my friends, my mum and dad and my step-mum – I could hear them all screaming, just on the other side of a door."

A momentous occasion not just for the artist but for the Scottish music scene as well. Combe's show came just hours after the Scottish Government gave the green light for the return of gigs after that 2021 lockdown period.

For the artist, the evening was profound. It represented the first step toward a welcoming unknown. She had long harboured those ambitions to perform, despite struggling with self-confidence. Any doubts, however, were soon extinguished as she left the stage at Tut's that night.

"It was a really surreal feeling," she looks back. "The first thing I said when I came off stage that night was that I felt 'untouchable' – and not in an arrogant way; it just felt like I was on top of the world for those 45 minutes or so. I just felt amazing.

"I had always struggled with confidence, so it was cool to really show myself that I can do this as well.

"It was a good way to kick off the live side of things – before then it was a bit of a monkey on my back; I was really worried about it. It could not have gone any better, to be honest.

"Tut's will always be my first gig, nothing will ever change that. So, in 10 years' time, and, hopefully, I'll still be doing all this, it will be great to look back and reminisce on that first date. It was really special."

The rise of Brooke Combe is a story set below the floating shroud of lockdown. Social media provided a forum for the songwriter to reach thousands – tens of thousands – and beyond. She will have been encouraged by the swelling of her following, but was still unsure as to how well her original releases would be received and how many people would come see her perform.

SUMMER OF FUN: Brooke Combe will be playing a number of big festivals this year, including TRNSMT. Picture by Gaelle Beri

But no sooner had her name appeared on the King Tut's Summer Nights billing, those misgivings were addressed. A sell-out in no time at all. Combe's voiced would be the one to bring in the return of live music in Scotland. Her first-ever show. No pressure.

Even before she had ever taken to the stage, she was well on her way to making history. It was another milestone she had not dared herself to believe when thinking back to just 12 months before. She might not have, but others did.

"It's funny thinking back to that," she continues. "A year prior, I had a meeting with my manager and he told me that 'this time next year' I would doing my first headline gig and that he wanted it to be Tut's and that it would be sold out. At that time, we hadn't even released the first tune and, so, I couldn't really think that far into it.

"But he was right. Fast-forward a year and there we were. My first-ever live show and I could not have asked for a better occasion – it was a great night and I feel very grateful that so many people had shown up for me.

"The fact it was the first show coming out of lockdown just made the whole thing sweeter. It was a special night."

The music industry is not known for taking chances on the next generation of talent, with artists typically expected to present themselves as finished products rather than being supported and guided along the way by expert advisors. A little like applying for a mortgage when you've already hand-built your own home.

Nevertheless, these days it is crucial for songwriters to be their own publicists. Knowing how to reach people off stage as well on is, perhaps, one of the greatest advantages an artist can create for themselves.

Indeed, Combe is one of the emerging artists to have used social media to her great advantage. With 11,000 or so followers on Instagram and more than 15,000 on Twitter, she is able to exert a great deal of control over her output. Before her name took off, delving into the world of social media proved to be a welcome distraction for her during the pandemic and a healthy creative outlet. But before long, she was given an unexpected big break.

The singer says: "Everybody was having a pretty rubbish time in lockdown – myself included. No one was getting to see family and friends and, so, it turned out to be a good time to write all this music and really research songwriting.

"When it took off, it was so strange. Social media has helped – in fact, it was 'Yes, Sir, I can Boogie' that sort of sparked it all. I forget that sometimes; it just feels so long ago now. That song will follow me about until the day I die, I reckon.

"It was hard for me to split my personal feelings on social media with the idea that it is a very good platform for me to use and to help me grow as an artist. It's a great way to build a following."

Of course, as is the way within the hellish realm of social media, there is always a downside. For all the positive response, there will invariably be some to take exception, spurred on by a personal resentment or jealousy. For every achievement, there is someone pushing back.

One recent example was one young commenter who sprung up on a few of Combe's music video posts on YouTube. But the singer took the remarks in her stride and hit back with her own TikTok response video.

"There is always that horrible side," she continues. "Obviously, you don't want to let these trolls get you down or whatever. Life's too short to be hung up on the little things.

"And if you have a good support behind you then you know you are doing something right.

"I've not had to experience too much of that – the trolling side. That most recent comment was just one of those things where I'd seen it and thought we'd have a wee laugh with it. I suppose that's the best way to combat that sort of thing.

"The green-eyed monster can get the best of some people. I try not to worry too much about it.

NEW MATERIAL: The Edinburgh star will release some new material in the near future

"You are vulnerable – you are putting a part of your life out there. That is a conscious decision, so you just have to roll with the punches."

There is no doubt that Combe is still developing as an artist. By her own admission, she feels there is still a lot she can learn by working with other songwriters, sharpening her own aptitude for the craft. A self-confessed "perfectionist" – she constantly strives for the better.

Even so, Combe is a woman who knows who she is and what she likes. She loves her Motown; she loves The Arctic Monkeys. That her sound feels like a fusion of the modern and the classics is no mistake.

She also has a look to match her sound, exuding a confidence as smooth as the sunglasses she has become synonymous with. In fact, her shades – and the assurance they provide – have already become part of the Brooke Combe story.

The singer adds: "When I first started posting covers on Twitter and stuff, I had the sunnies on for a reason – I'll never say why – but I had them on for a reason and now I genuinely need them.

"I was opening for The Lathums at The Barrowlands and I was around 30 seconds from going on stage and my dad was bringing my sunglasses but I hadn't bumped into him yet. So, I was standing there thinking he hadn't brought them through and I was preparing to go without them – then he just shows up and hands me them behind the stage and then I just thought: 'Right, we're ready to go!'.

"I guess it's one of those things… I really need them now. It's just my thing, I guess. I just feel more comfortable with them being there. But I don't think I'll tell anyone about the original reason – I like to hear what people have to say about them as well.

"I might hang them up at some point – but I don't see that day coming anytime soon."

It is clear that 2022 will be a massive year for Combe. A new single is on the horizon, with some massive shows to follow. Fresh after supporting The Lathums this month, she will play a show with The Coral before going on tour with Miles Kane in May. A few festival dates are already in the diary for the summer, including TRNSMT, Truck Festival, Kendal Calling and Sound City Liverpool.

In the coming weeks, she will release Miss Me Now – a track which promises to show the singer in a new light. It may well be the next step in a trail-blazing year for Combe.

She adds: "It is really different from what I've released and I am nervous for this one. But I'm excited as well. A lot of my supporters are male, so it'll be interesting to see how the ladies react to this one. So, that's something to think about.

"It's a song that I feel will fit with the other tracks. Different, but it fits. It's almost a happier version of Are You With Me? Really, a more upbeat and up-tempo vibe.

"I wanted to enter this year with a bit of a bang. I actually thought that bang would have been the Miles Kane tour, so I was gutted when that was moved [to May]. But this is a great way to really start the year and this song shows another side to me. I am really interested to see how people react to that.

"We'll have more songs out later in the year, maybe an EP, I'm really not sure, but definitely some more tunes. And I'll be bringing the drama again – happy tunes are short-lived for me. But we'll see what comes."