The brainchild of Leeds musicians Jed Skinner (keys) and Matt Woodward (drums), Galaxians infectious funk instrumentals could make a cadaver’s rotting arse wiggle.
Four years in and perhaps at a crossroads regarding how far they could take their two-man sound, a stroke of genius suddenly augmented their roller disco grooves with the super sassy liquid voice of Emma Mason. In a flash Galaxians were now West Yorkshire’s answer to the Studio 54 house band in a head-on collision with Miami Sound Machine, the party band to end all parties.
Alas, the trio’s barnstorming self-released sophomore ‘Chemical Reaction’ hit the shelves in Spring 2020, just as a certain spiteful armoured bollock closed its iron grip on everyone’s social lives. Originally planned for July that year, the trio’s album launch party suffered more postponements than a Scottish midwinter lower league football programme, until now!
With a largely gig free winter for many, the dark warmth of Brudenell never felt so good and following sterling support from fine Hip-Hop solo performer ‘Reality’ a.k.a. ‘Mother’s Favourite Rapper’ the Galaxians Mothership finally touched down at the brimming LS6 venue, instantly making up for lost time with their banging title track ‘Chemical Reaction’. The signature 1980s percussion samples seemed to spark everyone into life, a veritable green light to get down and groove, even on the stickiest of Brudenell wickets. Mason, looking a perpetual million dollars and effortlessly exuded the serially wronged soul diva, her femme fatale vocal breathing life into every track whilst Skinner and Woodward were content to beaver away in the background doing their thang, the delighted, writhing audience lapping up the pulsating tempo, relishing their weekend release.
‘How Do You Feel?’ seemed to be the trigger for Mason’s puissant vocal to ratchet up a notch. The sexual tension was almost palpable as she bellowed ‘Are we just friends, or are you my lover?’, piercing the venue’s atmosphere like a knife. The superb ‘Don’t Need U’ proved every bit the two-fingered fuck-you break-up anthem live as it does on the record, all that was missing was the voodoo doll. Finally, the trio were joined by Anthology Brewing Company frontman Liam Kane on bass for the blistering house-tinged closer ‘Heat of the City’.
I’ve been to some stellar gigs at Brudenell, and this one is a welcome addition to that list.
Words - Mike Price
Galaxians official