Posts Tagged ‘Leeds’
KARMA FEST Eiger Studios Leeds 28th May 2017
Posted: January 5, 2017 in FESTIVALS, MUSICTags: Karma Festival, Leeds
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Live At Leeds First Direct Arena ” 24th July 2013
Posted: December 25, 2016 in MUSICTags: Bruce Springsteen and the E.Street Band, First Direct Arena, Leeds
It was one of the smallest arenas ever that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played , the show was awesome and the sound was great. The video editing took weeks but it was the soundtrack which “arrived” late and made the wait even longer. But everybody agreed in the end: It was worth the wait. I have released many full show videos prior to this one but this one turned out to be the greatest video of all times. Proud and happy Olli, contributors and fans.
This upload is my first full show upload in HD and looks much better than all previous uploads but it is still far from blu-ray quality. I, like many others, prefer watching this video to any official video from 2000 or later. The official ones either have bad sound (Barcelona), are screwed up and miss on a lot of potential (Live in New York City), or are simply lazy choices (Hyde Park) that do not do justice to the world’s greatest live performer.
This is the video I watch when I want to see a show from after 1999.
A killer setlist with so many highlights: Roulette, Thundercrack, Local hero, Gotta get that feeling, Bad moon rising, Secret Garden...Wow. What a night!
Bruce seemed to be in a certain mood from the first song he belted out, and I don’t think it was from the parking tickets his tour trucks had been issued with earlier in the day. It was dark, hot and steamy, lights were flashing, the crowd had been craving this moment for months. Bruce played ‘Roulette’ with energy, passion and emotion like I’ve never seen before. The crowd around me matched it. ‘My Love Will Not Let You Down’ and ‘No Surrender’ had us jumping up and down, limbs flying, sticky skinned and red faced already, we realised this much hyped date wasn’t going to disappoint.
A slower ‘Something In The Night’ led into a haunting ‘American Skin’, even more powerful than normal in this small dark venue, with insane acoustics. We clung on to every word Bruce sang.
Bruce kept the crowd bopping and singing with ‘Hungry Heart’, where he went for a wander and treated the other standing fans to some handshakes, funny faces and microphone grabbing before a moment of “will he won’t he” (of course he will) before he launched himself backwards, crowd surfing directly over us, back to the stage where Jake was loyally waiting for him. Next we were treated to three tour debuts in a row, the rarely played ‘Local Hero’, ‘Gotta Get That Feeling’ (for Steve Van Zandt, although I can personally vouch that we enjoyed it too) before an unrehearsed ‘Bad Moon Rising’ for some fans from Spain, who’d been trailing that sign behind them across Europe. After a little bit of practice they got into key and made these two hopeful Spanish fans and the rest of us dance happily hand in hand, with beaming smiles
Another unexpected treat came from the sign request for ‘Thundercrack’, where Bruce explained that once upon a time the song had been their show stopper, when they used to open for other bands. He admitted “we may not get through the middle of it” due to it’s trickiness, but we didn’t doubt they’d manage it.
Despite getting hotter and hotter in the pit, a beautiful and quite rare ‘This Depression’ turned my skin cold, with such simple lyrics sung to us so well. ‘Because The Night’ was better than ever, before a fun ‘Darlington County’, when Bruce headed to the back of the pit again, sending fans into a frenzy of excitement.
As we started to reach boiling point, throughout the set Bruce kept returning to the pit crowd, handing out pints of his own luminous blue drink to us fans without taking any for himself. It was a simple gesture but one that has stuck in my mind. Land Of Hope And Dreams then closed the main set and marked that time in the concert when my heart starts aching, realising how quickly the time has passed.
Potentially one of the rarest songs of Springsteen’s to hear live, ‘Secret Garden’ opened the encores, shocking the crowd and prompting tears from many around me. Dedicated to fans who had travelled across Europe to see the band, Bruce promised he knew what we go through to make sure we see as many shows as we can. Almost pitch black, one light focused on Bruce as many of us heard this song for the first, and possibly the last time, live. ‘Atlantic City’ continued to keep emotions high before the band switched to their livelier numbers to start closing the show.
Despite the red face and hair now slicked back with sweat, Bruce pointed at me with an exclamation of “Burger Girl” during the next song. Wide eyed, my mouth dropped open. Gawking, I then watched as he pretended to eat a cheeseburger mid ‘Badlands’, Arm in arm the pit jumped to the song, a celebration of spending such special times together this year.
‘Born To Run’, into ‘Dancing In The Dark’, the party atmosphere continued as we pushed out thoughts that our time was limited, and for many this was the end of the road. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’, before ‘Shout’, the band’s energy continued until the very last note they played. With the E Street Band leaving the stage, Bruce returned for a stunning acoustic ‘If I Should Fall Behind’, before an equally special ‘Thunder Road’. For one of the fans I spoke to later (and many others I’m sure) this had been the very first song she’d ever seen Bruce perform live, back in the 70s.
Setlist
Roulette
My Love Will Not Let You Down
No Surrender
Something in the Night
American Skin (41 Shots)
The Promised Land
Hungry Heart
Local Hero
Gotta Get That Feeling
Play Video
Bad Moon Rising
Thundercrack
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
This Depression
Because the Night
Darlington County
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Rising
Land of Hope and Dreams
Encore:
Secret Garden
Atlantic City
Badlands
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Shout
Encore 2:
If I Should Fall Behind
Thunder Road
EAGULLS – ” Ullages ” Best Albums Of 2016
Posted: December 24, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSICTags: Best Albums of 2016, Eagulls, Leeds, Partisan Records, Ullages
Eagulls have been one of the more interesting bands to emerge from the recent post-punk renaissance. Originally purveyors of quite spiky punk, their sound has mellowed a little over the past few years and their second album Ullages also an anagram of Eagulls marks a definite move forward from the band’s impressive self-titled debut of 2014. George Mitchell’s vocals are a little more defined, but retain their early Bob Smith quality, slightly stretched and pleading, reaching out for answers that never come, leaving only bewilderment and frustration. “Each night’s like the needle slipped, does existence have much more than this?”, “Is our future grey as the slabs on our drives?”, “Why don’t I ever stop and start to think?” – there are more questions than answers for Eagulls in the bleak world they inhabit, the desolate city scapes mirroring their inner desolation and helplessness.
If anything, there is less hope on Ullages than on their first album Eagulls, the tone is more resigned, the music less of an attack and more of a blurred soundscape. Emptiness, Eagulls
Eagulls delivered a daring follow-up that transformed George Mitchell’s vocals from echo-drenched hollers to sharp, wry observations. ‘Heads or Tails’ is an almost folky opener, while ‘Velvet’ and ‘Psalms’ sound like wandering alone into a dark alleyway, not sure whether you’ll make it out the other side.
Tony Wilson once said post-punk is about moving on from saying ‘fuck you’, to saying ‘I’m fucked’. Eagulls have encapsulated this perfectly in two albums.
Though the band describe the record as positive with a glass half-full mentality, it is a curious mind that would find positivity only in the fact that things couldn’t really get any worse. Sonically, there is a marked change, with more thoughtful backdrops framing the vocals, often slighty warped in an MBV style, though with plenty of picked notes and a clattering drum attacks straight from the Birthday Party. It’s a beautiful amalgam of all that has been good in music over the past thirty-five years, with jumping Cure basslines, plangent guitars, the occasional power chord and even some ambient flickers. There’s a very limited indies-only green vinyl edition, so get in quick, and all housed in a sleeve by cult photographer Peter Mitchell. Near enough the perfect package.
Among my favourite albums of 2016 was the Leeds post-punkers Eagulls their debut in 2014 album had been an angry struggle of Joy Division pastiches. But they amped up the poetic melodrama (and their songwriting chops) for this second album titled after an anagram of their own band name Ullages, taking cues from the windswept sookiness of Disintegration-era The Cure as much as the sonic cathedrals of Simple Minds and Cocteau Twins.
Massive singalongs “Velvet” and “My Life In Rewind” (a widescreen stadium anthem which I’ll bet The Horrors wish they’d written).
FAMILY SCRAPS – ” Too Pure “
Posted: November 25, 2016 in MUSICTags: Family Scraps, Hookworms, Leeds, MJ, UK
Early this year Matthew Johnson otherwise known as MJ from the band Hookworms began sharing solo material, stating that there “will be a whole record as soon as I can get some studio time to finish it.” It seems that time has finally arrived. Writing under the name Family Scraps, the musician has shared his debut single proper in the form of “Mistakes”.
Echoing melodies and shimmers of distortion are as engaging as they are electric. Punchy rhythms power the song from its core, vocals uttering words of self-deprication with an astounding grace. There’s a certain beauty in the breakdown, a blazing guitar solo guiding the way to the chorus’ gentle harmonies. Giving doom and gloom a polished sheer, Another track following the recent release on Too Pure Singles Club ‘It Follows’, is the latest effort from the musical maestro MJ. The frontman from Hookworms and the man now behind the Family Scraps moniker.
The track was recorded during the Christmas floods which destroyed his studio by the river in Leeds. It has the tone of hope whilst still taking in the damage. It reeks of the artists mercurial stamp and bodes well for the promised upcoming LP. Both tracks will be out on Too Pure Singles Club in early 2017.
Both songs written by Matthew Johnson
A full length album will follow in 2017. No live dates are currently planned.
MENACE BEACH – ” Give Blood “
Posted: November 17, 2016 in MUSICTags: Leeds, Lemon Memory, Menace Beach
Leeds noisemakers Menace Beach release their new single Give Blood on the 20th January 2017, the single drops ahead of their sophomore album “Lemon Memory” out on the same day.
Give Blood couples the raucous and scuzzy energy of Menace Beach with perhaps their most pop moment to date. Written in Ibiza, the song was the first track they recorded in Sheffield with producer Ross Orton for their album Lemon Memory. The early moments in the studio can define the whole recording process but the immediate nature of Give Blood was the perfect way to kick off the session. Lead-singer Ryan Needham elaborates.
“Starting a session with people you haven’t worked with before has the potential to be a bit daunting, but by the time we blasted through this (Give Blood) a few times it was instantly apparent there was a strong vibe there and we just rode that wave to the end of the session.”
Menace Beach will be touring the UK as a five-piece band throughout January and February next year.
From the album Lemon Memory
Living Body is the new project from Leeds-based Chicagoan Jeff T. Smith (formerly, Juffage) featuring longtime collaborators Katie Harkin (Harkin, Sky Larkin, Wild Beasts, Sleater-Kinney) and Tom Evans (Vessels). Rising from the ashes of their acclaimed “Sonic Cauldron” concert at Left Bank Leeds in 2013, the group is now augmented by new and additional live members Alice Rowan (Mayshe-Mayshe) & Sarah Statham (Esper Scout). Expanding on the need for music to bring joy into the lives of others, and Smith’s fascination with the contortion of the pop song into a uniquely imaginative and immediate form, Living Body aims to exist in a world of skin and information overload in 2016.
All instruments played & recorded by Jeff T. Smith, On the new album also features:
Tom Evans: French horn on “Choose”, bass on “Trail Mix, pt. 2”, guitar on “Last Few True”
Katie Harkin: Vocals on “Declaration of Independence”, “I Recollect”, and “Last Few True”, guitar on “Trail Mix, pt. 2”
Jenna Isherwood: Viola on “Declaration of Independence”, “Choose”, “I Recollect”, and “Trail Mix, pt. 2”
Pete Mycroft: Trumpet on “Choose”
MENACE BEACH – ” Maybe We’ll Drown “
Posted: October 29, 2016 in MUSICTags: Leeds, Lemon Memory, Liza Violet, Meanace Beach, Ryan Needham
Menace Beach, the Leeds based duo of Ryan Needham and Liza Violet, have this week announced details of their second album, Lemon Memory, due early next year along with some tour dates, news came in the sharing of a brand new, and excellent new single, Maybe We’ll Drown.
Lemon Memory will be the follow up to their excellent 2015 debut, Ratworld. Discussing their ambitions for the record, Liza notes, “The one ‘rule’ thing we went into the album session with was to keep in mind that sometimes doing The Opposite is much more interesting.” Maybe We’ll Drown certainly sounds very little like the 90’s-slacker rock of their debut; fusing the staccato rhythms of Cate Le Bon with the wonky organ sound of The Horrors, Menace Beach create a claustrophobic, almost aquatic soundscape, matched neatly by the songs repeated lyric, “maybe we’ll drown, maybe we’ll all drown.” A hugely promising return, Lemon Memory is shaping up to be an intriguing departure for a band who just seem to get more interesting with each new track; it’s also going to have a scratch and sniff cover, so it could be the best smelling and best sounding release of 2017.
Lemon Memory is out January 20th via Memphis Industries. Menace Beach tour the UK in February, click HERE for details.
Leeds seems to be a city with quality bands crawling out of its every alleyway right now. Battle Lines’ have been around for a while in a variety of guises, but their official debut is a real dark pop treasure.
Carly Humphries’ powerful yet vulnerable vocals are exceptional here, falling somewhere between Florence Welch and Kate Bush on the spectrum. ‘Wildlife’ and the title track showcase it at its best, while ‘Sea of Fear’ introduces a more dark, electronic vibe in the vein of Curve. Wildlife is the first track to be released from Leeds band Battle Lines debut album ‘Primal’.
Carly described how it came about “Wildlife” came from an idea Luke and I penned in my room. Musically it’s represents a lighter part of the album and for me it was a turning point lyrically. We wrote it toward the end of the album sessions, the record charts a tough period of time culminating in a destructive relationship. Wildlife marked the moment in the writing process where I realised that I’d moved on, and all that anger no longer weighed so heavily on my shoulders. Its essence comes from the things that start so well but slowly turn toxic; however hard you try to take it back to the magic of when it started, some things should be left to rest.
If driving rhythms and gazey riffs are more your thing, ‘Smother’ is likely to be your go-to track, and the haunting ‘Skull’ is another peak point.
It’s an accomplished first full-length record from the four-piece which, in the best way possible, doesn’t sound like a debut.
CHAMBERS – ” Disappear “
Posted: August 12, 2016 in MUSICTags: Aeris Houlihan, Chambers, Ellie Churchill, Leeds, Warren Records
Labelling themselves as “Sister Doom”, British duo Chambers is one of those propositions it is simply hard to ignore. With a distinctive character and emotive prowess to their sound, certainly that should be the case with new single/video Disappear. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Aeris Houlihan and drummer Ellie Churchill, Chambers create moodily brooding, grunge toned rock ‘n’ roll which demands attention while igniting the imagination musically and lyrically.
Formed in 2014, Leeds hailing Chambers proceeded to hone their own individual sound with the guitar enterprise of Houlihan and the songwriting imagination of both uniting to create something openly different to most similarly potent duos. With recent shows with the likes of Shopping, Black Honey, Gap Dream, Sister Mantos, The Mirror Trap, and The Black Delta Movement under their belts, Disappear is the fresh evidence of the girls’ success in creating that individual proposition.
A scuzzy guitar tempts the ears first, its broadening body and tone soon joined by the infectious rhythmic swings of Churchill. Just as swiftly the expressive tones of Houlihan add to the affair, it all a flirtation of ears as gnarly and raw as it is contagiously seductive. There is a feel of now demised Karn8 to the song, its catchy hooks and dark temptations a similar enticing as too the heavier rock ‘n’ roll which is ventured into at times by the song. Placebo meets Soundgarden like essences also frequent the track but like spices only add to the distinct character of the Chambers invention
Accompanying Disappear is Love Song, a web of stoner/heavy rock grooves and wiry grunge inspired riffs all soaked in punk rock attitude. As instinctively virulent as its companion, the track shows another aspect to the Chambers songwriting and imagination; taking the listener into the darker, dirtier side of their creative adventure.
Both songs leave a lingering impact and powerfully why Chambers is finding a swell of potent recognition building up round them.
Disappear is out now via Warren Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 