The BRINK           tel. 635 831 922 (Spain mobile)

  Luxembourg (Echternach) 1995

  “The Brink” was formed when Billy and Janet Brink, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, emigrated to England in the summer of 1986. They both sing and are multi-instrumentalists. Billy plays lead guitar, flute, alto saxophone and harmonica and Janet plays rhythm guitar, keyboards and alto saxophone.

Theirs is a live act !  The backing is in midi format in which drums and bass have been sequenced by Billy and apart from the occasional added keyboards everything else is live.

  Billy began his vocation as a musician at the age of ten when he got his first guitar.  His years as a chorister gave him a solid grounding as a singer and his accurate musical ear and love of music quickly led him on to become accomplished on the guitar and later the flute, saxophone and harmonica.

  From her early teens, Janet has been singing and accompanying herself on the guitar at parties and around the camp fire. She went on to learn piano and to study theory of music and, after meeting up with Billy, she began learning the saxophone and passed fifth grade Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music on the instrument.

  The Cape Town scene in both Jazz and Rock circles offered a high standard of musicianship, spawning well known names such as Abdullah Ibrahim, Winston Mankunku, Josh Sithole and Jonathan Butler.

  After their shows, touring musicians from overseas often visited one of the local late night music venues, Scruples in Athlone, for some casual playing.  As Billy was a performer there this afforded him an opportunity to jam with Chic Corea, Blue Mitchell and Thelonius Monk as well as many of their lesser known backing musicians.

  Billy organised his own concerts in Cape Town at the Baxter Theatre and at the St. Aden’s Theatre, “Oh, for the Love of Music” and “We’re only in it for the Music” encouraging new talent and giving them an opportunity of exposure.  It was in these shows that Amampondo, who later went on to tour with Paul Simon, made their first public appearance. 

  As well as performing in, Billy was also the musical director for “Alice in Colourland”,  “Joseph and his amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat” and “Godspell”  at the Space Theatre and the University of Cape Town Theatres.  A broadening interest in Jazz lead Billy to study composition and arrangement under Merton Barrow at the Cape Town Jazz Workshop.

  While in England Billy spent a year at Cambridge Regional College studying Music Facilitation and Teaching and in 1997 qualified as a guitar teacher.  As well as teaching private students Billy also taught music at Mildenhall Upper School, Suffolk, for three years.  He started a recording studio in England which he has expanded over the years, re-assembling in Spain where he has recorded several CDs and demo’s for local artistes.

  The Brink played extensively around East Anglia for 17 years as well as touring in France, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Greece and the North East of England  before moving  to Spain in 2003.  They play a selection of Rock Classic hits from bands such as Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Santana, Shadows, Bill Haley & The Comets, Chuck Berry  to Pink Floyd, Gary Moore and ACDC as well as  Blues and a bit of Jazz.

Chic Corea, Basil Coetzee, Amampondo,  Abdullah Ibrahim.

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The Brink       an article that appeared in the ' thinkSPAIN.com'  newspaper, 9-15 Feb 2007

      Billy Brink can make the most difficult guitar solos look easy but he is not merely a technician, his improvisations are skilfully melodic and emotionally rich.  His renditions of solos by Rock Legends such as Dave Gilmour and Carlos Santana, sound convincingly close to the originals because Billy’s playing captures the magic of their music. It is a pleasure to listen to him whether on sax, flute or harmonica and satisfying to hear the well balanced sound of “The Brink”.       

Janet’s rhythm playing on guitar and keyboards is a pleasing complement to Billy’s expertise and her occasional forays into the limelight with a sax solo are not without merit.

     Between them they play seven instruments; two guitars, two saxophones, keyboard, flute and harmonica and are both strong singers.  As their backing, sequenced by Billy himself, only comprises drums and bass with occasional additional keyboard, their act is as live as two people can make it without compromising the sound.

     While Rock and Blues musicians at heart, their repertoire is varied to include Rock ‘n Roll, some Jazz and Latin as well as popular hits from Billy Idol, Gerry Rafferty, Status Quo, among others, catering to a wide appeal. They are serious musicians with a fun side and it’s not surprising to see the crowd up jiving but the evidence of the quality of their entertainment are the cheers following the more difficult numbers from Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. You are left with the feeling that they could play anything and the ease with which they perform belies the hard work behind their act. 

     “The Brink” are well worth seeing or booking.

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