"...Leeds' streets, pavements and venues are buzzing with passionate music seekers on this first Saturday of May. Live At Leeds has returned in a blaze of glory for its 8th year..."
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| Photos: Andy Benge, Tracey Welch, Benjamin Paul Smith |
Leeds' streets, pavements and venues are
buzzing with passionate music seekers on this first Saturday of May, all eager to celebrate their first festival of the year. Live At Leeds has returned in a blaze of glory for its 8th
year, with a stellar line-up (including a few last-minute 'big' names), that has an army of wristband-wearers hopping
from one venue to another in the sunshine.
Live at Leeds caught the imagination of the nation's press when the initial line-up was revealed some months back... Albert Hammond Jr from The Strokes, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Hold Steady, Yuck and ¡Forward Russia! whetted appetites from the off, but then a couple of hugely appealing names were added at the last minute (Frank Turner, Palma Violets) to complement an amazing array of up and coming artists that gave punters the choice of over 200 bands in one day - voila, Live At Leeds 2014 was up and running. In fact, there wasn't even the need to wait until Saturday if extra music kicks were required to start your weekend with a bang. Friday night saw venues such as The Brudenell, The Cockpit, The Wardrobe all kick off the Live At Leeds weekend with their own thrills and spills. The Cockpit, in fact, is where we began our path of great live music across the city of Leeds...
Live at Leeds caught the imagination of the nation's press when the initial line-up was revealed some months back... Albert Hammond Jr from The Strokes, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Hold Steady, Yuck and ¡Forward Russia! whetted appetites from the off, but then a couple of hugely appealing names were added at the last minute (Frank Turner, Palma Violets) to complement an amazing array of up and coming artists that gave punters the choice of over 200 bands in one day - voila, Live At Leeds 2014 was up and running. In fact, there wasn't even the need to wait until Saturday if extra music kicks were required to start your weekend with a bang. Friday night saw venues such as The Brudenell, The Cockpit, The Wardrobe all kick off the Live At Leeds weekend with their own thrills and spills. The Cockpit, in fact, is where we began our path of great live music across the city of Leeds...
PJ
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| BLOOD RED SHOES. Photo - Andy Benge |
Friday
We see Blood Red Shoes, no strangers to touring and certainly no strangers to
Leeds, back in front of a packed out Cockpit room once again.
Laura Mary Carter sporting a Zeppelin T-shirt and Steve Ansell at his
trademark side-facing drum kit delight the Friday night rock crowd
with an assortment of tracks from their ever-growing back catalogue,
as well as a number from their recent self-titled album.
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| SLAVES. Photo - Andy Benge |
Slaves
are incredibly good fun, and a wonderful surprise nestled in the
middle of this triple bill of duos. These Kent boys are
racking up the gigs as they travel the length and breadth of the
country supporting bands like Blood Red Shoes, Pup and Vuvuvultures. Laurie and
Isaac (guitar and drums respectively) have carved quite a niche for themselves in this popular guitar/drum duo thang. Isaac doesn't so much play the
drums as ferociously attack them from a standing position while
Laurie injects us repeatedly with some garage/punk rock riffery, and they know a tale or two, and how to tell it. 'Where's Your Car
Debbie?' typical of these snarling, fiery, abrupt songs. Not quite so
abrupt as 'Girl Fight' however and its whole 20 second or so
experience. I'd thoroughly suggest you see Slaves soon and get in on
this now. PJ
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| DZ DEATHRAYS. Photo - Andy Benge |
Propping
up their tour/drinking buddies are Australian party animals DZ Deathrays. We championed our last meeting with them here upstairs in
the tiny 'room 3', and have been eager to see what they've been up to
since. The answer to that is making a new record (Black Rat) which
sadly isn't out in the UK for a good while yet. If 'Reflective
Skull' is anything to go by though we'll be caught in a dance/mosh
crossfire of groove-heavy drumming and fuzzed-out guitars. Not that
the likes of 'Cops Capacity' and 'The Mess Up' aren't fine examples
of their work to date. A pleasure once again boys, an absolute
pleasure.
PJ
PJ
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| Wristband exchange at The Arena. Photo - Bart Pettman |
Saturday
One
(very reasonably priced) wristband, over 20 official venues in Leeds
city centre, and 200+ bands and artists to choose from. Live At Leeds
offers the most hardened gig-goer with eclectic of musical tastes, quite the choice when it comes to making a decision on who to see and
where to go. Whether you go with a fool-proof plan, having made that
most difficult of decisions - agonising over the inevitable stage
clashes, or you see where the day takes you, this festival caters for
one and all. We made our musical bed in our preparation of today and
we're bloody well going to lie in it my friends. With that, let us
take you hand in hand on our course through the days delights.
Bearing in mind we like it loud, noisy and up close and personal a lot
of the time, but happy to chill out a bit in-between. Here's our run down of the
bands, in the venues, at the times that allowed us to wallow like happy pigs in the proverbial...PJ
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Wristband
firmly in place, it's Leeds University's tiny room (The Mine) we make a
b-line for at the start of our afternoon gig frenzy. Parents-worst-nightmare-named-band All Us On Drugs have just thrown everything into
their early slot, judging by seeing the band members both upright and thrashing
around on the floor, as I peep into this nicely-busy venue. The
pre-gig hush that fills the Mine prior to Birmingham's Youth Man is
in stark contrast to the wonderful racket the trio explode with at
1:30pm. I could well have found the noisiest, filthiest din of the day! It's like a repeated punch to the face
yet still we get up for more. Kaila's vocals vary from a delicate
whisper to a roaring shriek as she grapples with her battered guitar.
The bass chugs away a la Mclusky and the drums are heavy, dictating the pace of the head-nods all around. Noise-rock hasn't
sounded so good as it does coming courtesy of Youth Man at this unearthly early hour of the day for them.
A
quick staircase manoeuvre or two and we're in the Uni's adjacent
venue (Stylus) with Leeds' very own boy/girl duo done good, The Witch Hunt. In startling contrast to what our eyes and ears were mulling
over a few short moments ago, this is engaging in a totally different
manner altogether. There's a dark, anthemic sound at the core here,
dominated by the power of singer/guitarist Louisa's hugely audible
voice. I swear this could crack any unsuspecting thick rimmed glasses
at the bar in an instant. The sound fills the voluminous Stylus with
ease as Chris' guitar jabs through the air and the soaring, haunting
howls of the vocals. Drums loop in and out at will with some added
percussion riding over the top and it's altogether a well-oiled,
highly polished performance by this home-town band. PJ
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| FICKLE FRIENDS. Photo - Andy Benge |
Hailing
from Brighton, Fickle Friends were like a cold blast of coastal spray
to the face in this early slot at 2pm over at The Wardrobe. A
shaky start sound wise; Natassja’s syrupy vocals too far down in
the mix to get the attention they rightly deserve; but rectified by
the time we reached the deceptively dark disco-stomp of recent single
'Swim'. There were whispers of 'VHS or Beta' in their cascading
synth-pop, but much less abrasive and more fun. It takes a lot to make
me want to dance, sober, at 2 o’clock of an afternoon, and they did
it easy. AS
Over
at the bustling Met Uni we catch Hero Fisher on the smaller of the
two stages battling it out in this fine long-running venue. Strong,
brooding singer-songwriters are at the heart of this lady's passions
and she effortlessly provides some warm and soothing vocals of her
own. Yet, despite the obvious well-structured songs and Hero's
striking appearance, there's something just not providing the right
hook in this performance. Perhaps it's the noise from the bar area
that isn't helping matters during the outfits quieter moments, or the
daylight peeking through and around the curtains of the windows in
this mid afternoon slot. PJ
Menace Beach have begun to establish themselves as much more than just
another band coming out of Leeds, and much more than a 'supergroup' made up of
various members of alternative Leeds based groups, and rightly so.
They've acquired a bit of a mish-mash of a sound that altogether
provides the Met's assembled with something to jiggle to thanks to
the trippy keyboard sound; get lost into - thanks to the screaming
feedback and reminisce to, such is the heavy 90's feel to their songs.
'Drop Outs' is still reeling around my head much later in this busy
day. PJ
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| GOD DAMN's pedal board! |
A
late addition to the bill were Birmingham's God Damn, who found
themselves given a 4pm slot at Nation Of Shopkeepers. Any
unsuspecting drinkers or chance takers found themselves at the mercy
of these two boys from the Black Country. Playing at unbelievable
volumes, brutally blazing a trail for Birmingham's underground
noise-makers, God Damn provide the necessary bite we've been looking
for since Youth Man back at the Uni. Ash – huge monster hair and
hitting hard on the drums, sits across from his band mate Thom who
releases soaring riffs from his guitar and bellows from his gravely
voice. If anyone's ever wondered how these two-piece bands find the
sound they create then look no further than Thom's pedal board.
You've never seen such an assortment of switches being firmly tapped
and untapped with a rubber-soled trainer. Veering through the likes
of 'Heavy Money' and 'Shoe Prints In The Dust', it's uncompromising
in sound. Heavy as Sabbath in a heartbeat, moments of early Seattle
bands in another. This ticks all the Plus One boxes - and then some. PJ
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| COURTNEY BARNETT. Photo - Chris Charlesworth |
Courtney Barnett at the Met: I was Initially ambivalent about this show after finding the antipodean inflection to her voice mildly irritating on record, by the second song I’d performed a volte-face. Live, the songs were fleshed out, Courtney’s honeyed drawl was perfection, infused with depth and a cracked edge, particularly on obvious crowd-pleaser Avant Gardener. There was something of The Blake Babies about the set, in the driving guitar and the contrasting sweetness and subtlety of Courtney’s delivery. She’s not a front woman as such, just a musician who also happens to sing and has something to say that’s worth listening to. AS
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| ROYAL BLOOD. Photo - Andy Benge |
Possibly
due to momentous radio air play, the space inside the Met had
suddenly filled up rather quickly for the aforementioned Ms Barnett and her fellow band
members. This made for a fairly lengthy queue ahead of Brighton boys Royal Blood's appearance. There's more than a whiff
in the air of a desperate need to see these two guys. Their ridiculously early Beacons Festival slot last year didn't go
unnoticed at Plus One Magazine and it seems hundreds don't want to
miss out today. Rightly so as they tear through their bluesy-tinged,
massive rock songs and look right at home in here in front of an
ever-swelling crowd. There's elements of White Stripes for sure and
their easily accessible but fantastically structured songs are so
appealing to music lovers of all tastes. There's monster choruses and
huge looping hooks accompanying the yelps of vocalist Mike Kerr in
the likes of 'Hole' and new song 'Come On Over'. For a band who are
yet to release their debut album, the signs are very very good indeed
for a healthy career in this biz. PJ
It’s
nothing personal, but Chloe Howl (02 Academy) is everything that is
wrong with pop music right now; market research led, gap filling teenagers given no time to learn their craft. Bounding on stage like
a vodka-soaked A&R man’s idea of the British Miley Cyrus, she
gyrated through set of mainly bland, forgettable electropop grinning
inanely like a stage school pro. Which is a shame, because Paper
Heart is still a gorgeous, soaring pop masterpiece, just give it to
Margaret Bergman or someone else who knows what to do with it, and
come back when and if you actually have something to say. AS
The
decision to end my own day at the delightful Brudenell Social Club
was one that was made quite readily for me upon the line up
announcement many months back. There's a happy gathering of music
seekers slowly trickling down from the city and inside Solids are
trying to cut through the billowing smoke machine with yet another
frantic guitar/drum onslaught. Like their recent album (Blame
Confusion), live, the pair career through a blistering set that
hammers into your skull relentlessly. They are as equally reminiscent of Japandroids
as they are in debt to any number of garage bands of the 90's. With
that it might be said that monotony is one thing Solids do that might
rub up the wrong way, if you're tired legs are aching for a sit. Though their style is part and parcel of who they are and a listen to
Blame Confusion or witnessing a live set will let you understand in a
jiffy. PJ
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| THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS. Photos - Benjamin Paul Smith |
Glasgow's The Amazing Snakeheads fit nicely into this wonderfully compact and
likeable venue. The mirrors and lights dotted about the place somehow
suit this band and their intense display of darkened rock and roll.
If you weren't familiar with their work and just walked in on the off
chance of watching a band, you might be forgiven in thinking front-man Dale Barclay and crew were offering out the whole venue for a fight.
Not true of course but have you ever, ever heard any musician sound
so angry and, er, Scottish? It's eerie, often brutal, always intense, and there's a sax! The bass weaves a magical backbone to the
stretched out songs like 'Here It Comes Again' from their debut
'Amphetamine Ballads'. Barclay spits and howls into the mic and drags
the rest of the band kicking and screaming behind him. For lovers of
Birthday Party era Nick Cave particularly, The Amazing Snakeheads
have crafted something fearsome and formidable and totally different
from anything else out there at the moment. PJ
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| DRENGE. Photo - Will Vallely |
Over
at The Cockpit, Plus One Magazine favourites Drenge are kicking up a bit of a
storm as usual. This angst-led duo perfectly master small town
claustrophobia; the Anti-Artic Monkeys, turning a cracked magnifying
glass on that which the ‘Monkey’s romanticised with rose tinted
specs. Their frantic noise and brutal lyrics are underpinned by a
snaking melodic thread not always obvious but always there.
Necromance Is Dead is a pounding, pulsing mess of bluesy post grunge
and a high point in a set that lacked any lows. Live, they are life
affirming, their crowd of peers forgetting who they are in a sea of
elbows and knees. This generation has a lot to be angry about, so
thank god for bands like Drenge. AS
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| PULLED APART BY HORSES. Photos - Benjamin Paul Smith |
Wrapping
up the day back at The Brudenell we once again find ourselves giving
Live At Leeds a proper send off in the company of Leeds based
lovelies Pulled Apart By Horses. Three years ago this very weekend at
the same festival we watched a captivating performance by the band at
the Met as frontman Tom was carried trophy-like from the pit
by the hoards, out into the darkness. Now they're not only two
albums to the good, but sitting pretty with an imminent third release.
A few of which get an airing tonight. Vast in sound, one particular
with a nod towards Pixies in style. A tremendous cover of The
Stooges 'I Wanna be Your Dog' along with the tried and tested amped
up favourites of 'E=MC Hammer' and 'I Punched A Lion In The Throat' keep
the floor alive with tumbling bodies and flailing limbs. It's a
whirlwind of a gig causing the singer to grin and tell us '..this is
a fucking blast'. He's not wrong and for a band so close to the heart
of the city and indeed the festival, they've come up trumps by
playing an absolute blinder of a set and bringing our day to the perfect end. PJ
Words - Main - Pete Jackson
Fickle Friends, Courtney Barnett, Chloe Howl & Drenge by Angi Strafford
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