Bob Vylan - Leeds Stylus, November 13th 2023, (LIVE REVIEW)


Fiercely DIY and independent driven, London duo Bob Vylan have chosen their own supports for this tour. (First on are fellow Londoners ‘Kid Bookie’ - seething metallers, champion swearers and besties with Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. Rap-rock and nu-metal will never totally be eradicated judging by this display. Cardiff’s ‘Panic Shack’ are the antidote. Four fifths female, an authentic punk snarl mixed with a keen sense of fun and most importantly, a breath of piss-taking fresh air on stage.  

And so, to the two Bobs. When did you last do some stretching and meditation in a pre-gig warm up with the band you paid to see? No, me neither until tonight, this is live music done Bob Vylan’s way. Pre-recorded amped-up guitars are the backdrop to the relentless drums (Bobbie) and stage-stalker (Bobby). Nicely warmed up, we’re all ready for some speedy hard-hitting grime-rap-punk mashup. ‘I heard You want Your Country Back?’, ‘Pulled Pork’, ‘He’s A Man’, ‘Wicked & Bad’ all delivered with BV sharp-edged social commentary.  Can you sense the angst? Off the back of some social media controversy and live confrontation with a couple of their peers recently, Bobby is keen to address this ongoing tete-a-tete head on in front of their Leeds community. He does, it’s tense, it’s over so let’s move on. A thunderous show-ending encore of Nirvana’s ‘Territorial Pissings’ brings the set fittingly to a raucous end. 

 

Bob Vylan are raw, powerful and hugely vital and boy are we in need of them right now. 

 

Words – Pete Jackson

 

 

Album number three (Humble As The Sun) is out next April.

Bob Vylan official

 



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