With a rough, tough, and deliciously soulful sound, Brothers Moving - who hail from Denmark - bring a Scandinavian sensibility to many classic American songs. Their music has gone down an absolute storm on any street, square, or stage they’ve performed on. As it stands, they’re most noted for their busking around New York City’s Union Square

What you need to know
The Brothers are made up of four members: Esben (Vocal), Collin (Piano), Nils (Bass), and Mathias (Drums), all of whom originally come from the Danish peninsula of Jutland. According to the band, they took to busking and street performing to “lighten the load of constant road rambling” - and make some spare change here and there in the process.

The band found themselves performing on the streets of New York City, where they helped revive obscure American classics from the back catalogue and breathe new life into them.

Their street performances became so big and well-known that people often went out of their way to head to Union Square when they knew Brothers Moving were performing - meaning that they blurred the line between “busking” and “improv concert”. At their peak in the mid-2010s, Brothers Moving were one of the most revered street bands out there.

Lead singer Esben has one of those irresistibly powerful voices that strikes you the moment you first hear it. It’s deep, gravelled, and geared to set off all the right fire alarms in your head. With his Danish accent, Esben takes a litany of English-speaking songs - including some of the most well-known songs in America and the UK - and turns them into something new, something loaded with fiery juice. The band’s cover of ‘Minnie The Moocher’ is a perfect example of how good he can be.

As well as this, the backing band is always on point, with Collin, Nils, and Mathias perfecting those tight, taut, rock-blues rhythms that many old-school songs require.

Where you can catch Brothers Moving live
Brothers Moving were perhaps best known for their live performances at Union Square in New York. In the open space of this square, Brothers Moving were able to find the energy they needed to capture audiences. It wasn’t unusual to find a crowd which extended rows and rows back, all vying to catch a peak of Esben and Co. in action.

The band also performed at festivals and venues throughout the US and Europe, including a comprehensive touring schedule around the UK in 2022. In the last 12 months, Brothers Moving have been relatively quiet about what they’ve been working on. This could well mean that they’re planning on releasing more new music in the near future.

What else should you know about Brothers Moving

Brothers Moving have been recording music for almost as long as they’ve been street performing. The band released their self-titled debut album in 2012, followed by their second album, Autonomy, in 2018. Their most recent single, ‘The Gambler’, came out at the end of 2022.