Casting a glance across UK festival line-ups these days can be somewhat dispiriting; increasingly fatigued rosters desperately in need of injections of vibrant new talent not coming through in anything like the numbers these days. One of the few swimmers against this tide is Live @ Leeds, an event still managing to serve up an eclectic smorgasbord of up-and-coming local talent, complemented by an alluring array of more established acts from home and abroad, catering for all tastes, drawing a slew of music lovers from across the region.
A tune currently receiving sizeable airplay is ‘Christ Flow’, a frenetic, infuriatingly catchy slice of 21st century hip-hop from 21-year-old West Country MC Barny Fletcher, recruited for the noon opening slot at a rapidly filling Headrow House. Fletcher, backed by a trio of musicians, treated us to his cheeky yet brashly confident stage presence, belying his comparative inexperience. Boasting merely a handful of tracks to his name, apparently there’s a new mixtape in the post. Expect to see this young upstart making waves on this summer’s festival circuit.
A tune currently receiving sizeable airplay is ‘Christ Flow’, a frenetic, infuriatingly catchy slice of 21st century hip-hop from 21-year-old West Country MC Barny Fletcher, recruited for the noon opening slot at a rapidly filling Headrow House. Fletcher, backed by a trio of musicians, treated us to his cheeky yet brashly confident stage presence, belying his comparative inexperience. Boasting merely a handful of tracks to his name, apparently there’s a new mixtape in the post. Expect to see this young upstart making waves on this summer’s festival circuit.
Electing to stay above ground at the Wardrobe, it’s already standing room only downstairs as Hull based The Hubbards take to the stage. Blues tinged rootsy harmonies of London duo Ferris and Sylvester, prove the perfect prelude to a handful of bewitchingly baroque soundscapes of AK Patterson. Flanked by dashing minstrels Alfie Weedon and Nat Reading the trio meeting in Brighton, Patterson’s haunting, beautifully crafted tales including ‘Shadows’ and ‘It’s Not over Till They Cry’, enveloped by rich comforting strings and lush harmonies, combine melodrama and mischief in equal measure, Patterson’s seductive, yet feisty vocal, the final piece of the jigsaw.
Naturally Live @ Leeds requires sampling a home grown band or two and three piece guitar band Sea Legs looked every inch the part, comfortably holding their own at a packed HiFi Club, new single ‘Flowers’ proving a pretty handy slice of indie-pop.
Two years ago I was lucky enough to witness an incendiary Key Club appearance by Idles as dozens queued outside in vain. This year it’s the turn of Norwegian quintet Death by Unga Bunga to turn the basement venue into a modern day Fun House, their raucous, hugely enjoyable half-hour of 70s stateside rock and roll a wonderful surprise. The band with the name to die for have actually been around for the best part of a decade, a handful of albums under their belt, the Scandinavians boasting a triple guitar assault led by frontman Sebastian Olsen, akin to watching the New York Dolls fronted by Jack Black; at one point all four axemen simultaneously playing their guitars behind their heads.
Faced with a 3-way choice between sassy soul diva Elli Ingram, indie-proggers Squid and the African funk of Ibibio Sound Machine, I plump for the latter, greeted by a seriously full Leeds Beckett University. The choice is clearly vindicated, Eno Williams looking resplendent in her fabulous multicolour jump suit, a brace of bootilicious backing singers either side, the stage struggling to accommodate the remaining seven band members who between them, create an electrifying organic sound that could make a corpse’s arse gyrate. The venue positively throbs to pulsating Afrobeat rhythms including ‘Tell Me’ and ‘Wanna Come Down’; if you’re attending a festival where these guys are on the bill, I implore you to go watch, your tush will be wiggling before you know it.
Following the news that Stylus suffered a burst water pipe the previous evening, rendering the venue unusable, University of Leeds have made a last minute switch to nearby Riley Smith Hall, Australian electro-poppers Confidence Man emerging to another full house. A brace of veiled members, Reggie Goodchild (Synths) and Clarence McGuffie (Drums), are joined by co-vocalists, toned surfer dude Sugar Bones and the startlingly attired Janet Planet, decked in a revolving wardrobe of togs, some of which would make Kylie blush. Powering through a mesmerising set of bangers, Planet and Bones resemble a modern day Peel and Steed, everyone going mental to a euphoric blend of Dee-Lite, Tom Club and Scissor Sisters. Humdingers including ‘C.O.O.L. Party’, ‘Don’t You Know I’m in a Band’, ‘Bubblegum’, and irresistible closer ‘Boyfriend’ are greeted with raptures, a breathless throng dazed but high as a kite on adrenaline alone at the finale.
With the unfortunate Metronomy the sole casualty of Stylus’s inundation, unable to perform in the rearranged University of Leeds venue, it’s left to New Englander and one man pop orchestra Jackson Stell, a.k.a. Big Wild to round things off in style, back where we started at Headrow House.
Admittedly it was a pity to discover three of my pre-festival picks hitting the stage at exactly the same time, but one appreciates that goes with the territory. Nevertheless, the 2019 incarnation proved a total blast and what’s more, that’s without watching any of the headline acts perform.
Words - Mike Price
