Tour support band, LIINES come from Manchester and play no nonsense, two-and-a-bit-minute post punk songs with a brutal honesty both in their making and delivery. Leila's infectious, drum patterns invite Tamsin's rickenbaker to rumble nicely in the foreground, letting singer/guitarist Zoe dip in and out at will.
Influences of some of their fellow Manchester peers who have gone before are on a plate to see. There's a bleak element to it and some dark undertones, backed up by an urgent freshness that also seeps out of LIINES music. Real, and great. LIINES: two 'ii's.
Sound check over in a heartbeat (laptop plugged in, switched on for a few bars.. then off again) and we're underway with Sleaford Mods take on (and taking on) the current state of Great Britain. Intent right from the off to let recent album Eton Alive loose on Leeds' rowdy Saturday night attendees, 'Into the Payzone', 'Flipside', 'Subtraction' and the irresistibly danceable 'Kebab Spider', lapped up, chewed on and spat back by all inside Leeds' Stylus.
If you're on-board with Nottingham's duo it's hard to pick holes in Sleaford Mods live set. Jason Williamson, lost in a mixture of fury and sarcasm is as compelling an individual to watch as ever. His beatmaker and band mate, the perma-grinning, beer swigging Andrew Fearne enjoying every minute of tonight's crowd reactions. Classic 'Mods live favourites TCR and BHS whip up a right old storm down the front as do older gems 'Jolly Fucker', 'Jobseeker' and 'Tied Up In Nottz'.
Sleaford Mods are owning nights like this in towns up and down, East and West of here. It's still wonderfully simple yet one of the most exciting things to see live. And with this shambolic country determined to offer up so much bait, why change a winning formula?
Words - Pete Jackson
