Live Review: BABYMETAL – First Direct Arena, Leeds – 14.04.23
Even before BABYMETAL hit the stage in Leeds on the first leg of this European Tour with Sabaton, the room was hyped. Finnish rock legends Lordi opened up with a characteristically theatrical set, lead singer Mr. Lordi stalking back and forth and roaring the crowd into an early frenzy. BABYMETAL’s entrance is typically dramatic. Masked, …
Live Review: Inspiral Carpets – O2 Academy, Leeds – 08.04.23
As I walked into the O2 Academy in Leeds, DJ Dave Sweetmore was firing up the crowd with a collection of Madchester classics. Banger after 90s banger filled the space in between support and headline act and it worked like a dream. “Shall we take a trip down memory lane?” as Northside once sang (funnily …
Gallery: Wunderhorse – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 01.04.23
Wunderhorse brought their headline tour to Brudenell in Leeds at the beginning of April. Supporting debut album Cub, singer Jacob Slater captivated a sold-out audience with an energy and attitude that will take the band to bigger and bigger stages over the coming years. The tour continues around the UK and into Ireland, throughout April …
Live Review: IST IST – Oporto, Leeds, 04.04.23
On Tuesday, a near sold-out Oporto in Leeds welcomed Ist Ist as they launch their latest offering – Protagonists. It’s an unusually intimate venue for the band that’s been rising quickly over the last few years, with successful UK and European tours under their belt in recent months. But its perfect for the diehard fans …
Live Review: Stiff Little Fingers – O2 Academy Leeds, 23.03.23
Punk is alive and well in Leeds as Stiff Little Fingers bring their Everyone Is Someone tour to town. The Northern Irish legends have been a mainstay in the punk scene for over four decades and they proved that their music still packs a punch. They know exactly what the crowd expects and they deliver …
Live Review: Rianne Downey – Oporto, Leeds. 19.03.23
Scottish singer-songwriter Rianne Downey enchanted a sold out Oporto in Leeds last night with her intricately crafted songbook and sweet but confident performance. Downey’s music draws on a wide variety of influences – at once conjuring up the sounds of Amy Winehouse, Fleetwood Mac, as well as the likes of Flyte and Taylor Swift. It …
Live Review: Cassyette – Stylus, Leeds. 15.03.23
It’s only been a few months since I last saw Cassyette rocking the smallest room in the Leadmill in Sheffield, and since then, the Essex-born rock pioneer has been on a meteoric trajectory. November 2022 saw the release of the acclaimed mixtape Sad Girl with anthemic singles like Mayhem and September Rain showing exactly what …
Meet: Inspiral Carpets’ Graham Lambert, on the eve of their tour and album
It’s 4pm, and I meet Graham Lambert, via Zoom, at his mum’s house in Oldham, the same place she lived (and Graham grew up) in the 1980s. He’s comfortably positioned at what looks like the kitchen table, “where we wrote a lot of the songs in the early days and started the band”. Lambert, despite …
Live Review: Courtney Marie Andrews – Leeds, 01.03.23
The trip to the Brudenell to see Courtney Marie Andrews was a last minute and unexpected one for me. But it was a brilliantly welcome one. Touring her new Loose Future record, and kicking the whole trip off in Leeds, this was a consummate performance, one of an artist that thoroughly warrants her Grammy nomination …
Live Review: Soup! – The Key Club, Leeds. 21.02.23
Supporting Hotel Lux on Tuesday night at Leeds’ Key Club, rising Manchester band Soup! brought their particular brand of post punk to a small but appreciative audience. The room was a little sparsely populated, and the openers – local post-punk 5 piece outfit Mince – hadn’t managed to ignite the venue despite a sterling effort …