The Cave Singers are a top notch rootsy trio from Seattle and were recommended to me by my barber, himself an occasional dabbler in the Leeds music scene. I’m really looking forward to their set which they kick off with ‘Summer Light’, the toe tapping opener from their splendid ‘Welcome Joy’ album and proceed in a similar vein throughout a barnstorming seven song set which visualise the crowd slowly creep closer to the band until we’re all a throbbing mass on oneness. ‘Black Leaf’ has me stomping my foot so hard that I now require a knee replacement. Last up is the unassuming Willy Mason accompanying himself on his guitar. By now you can’t move and the baritone from Martha’s Vineyard is at his spellbinding best. We even get a brief pause midway while Mr Mason retunes his guitar and you can hear a pin drop as we’re treated to exquisite numbers ‘Hard Hand to Hold’ ‘Save Myself’ and ‘We Can Be Strong’. If you like songs that really tell a story, look no further. Mike Price — Kendal Calling @ Lowther Deer Park, Cumbria Kendal Calling is a small but perfectly formed festival, and the loudest thing in the Lake District since Wordsworth started shouting at those kids for treading on his daffodils. Still, from 29 to 31 July it managed to draw some top notch acts, both “down with the kids” (Chase and Status and Beardyman) as well as the institutions that are Blondie, The Levellers and Echo and the Bunnymen for the oldies. There were a variety of stages boasting folk, rock, dance, jazz and comedy-just a shame that so much of it overlapped! It also was a bit of a pain that due to the rule stopping drinks being taken to the arena and the cost of pints inside there was a stampede to and fro between acts on the main stage. Visitors from Leeds included the band Middleman who unfortunately had an early slot which clashed with Beardyman and so didn’t quite draw the crowd they seemed to deserve. Also present were
The Raged (originally Cumbrian but now Leeds based) and with the high energy guitar and decks dance music, it’s not hard to see why The Raged reached number two in the German download chart. Personally I felt The Raged out performed the much better known Nero, though the sound quality was fairly varied in the dance tent. High points have got to be House of Pain doing a Johnny Cash cover - it shouldn’t have worked, but it did; Lancashire Hotpots did an amazing set with the end mash up a tribute to what happens when nobody says “actually that’s a really terrible pun”; and Craig Charles probably made a few people’s weekends as well with dancey remixes of all sorts including “Killing in the Name of”. Sadly all traces of masculinity were lost the second Blondie (who doesn’t seem to have aged since the 80s) hit the stage and now I have ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ stuck in my head and it doesn’t look like it’s going to shift for quite a while… Luke Bailey
Previews Blacklisters/Talons/David’s Lyre @ A Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds 1 October The raging fury that is Blacklisters seems to be fast catching on outside Leeds, so this may be the last time you can get up close and personal with the band before they get to play bigger venues. Top notch support from Talons too. Ruins Alone/Nope/Magnapinna @ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 3 October Ace Japanese avant rock/noise drummer Tatsuya Yoshida brings his impossibly loud and inventive solo version of Ruins to Leeds, with fantastic support from That Fucking Tank offshoot Nope and up and coming math rockers Magnapinna. Misty In Roots @ The Wardrobe, Leeds 8 October This legendary British roots reggae outfit have been plugging away for an
incredible 40 years now. The Wardrobe have been capturing some pretty amazing reggae artists recently. Zea/Cowtown/Model Village/ Downdime @ Musiquarium, Leeds 8 October Dutch experimental rock outfit Zea is the side project of Arnold de Boer of legendary Dutch post punk band The Ex. Expect joyfully energetic angular guitar explorations, ably assisted by the local talent. Marc Almond @ City Varieties, Leeds 10 October Almond returns to, if not the city of his birth, then at least the place that made him what he is today for a gig at this newly restored historic venue. Post War Glamour Girls/ Heart-Ships/ Moody Gowns @ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 12 October New single launch gig for the headliners and their brand of soulful indie pop, ably supported by the, er, dramatic HeartShips and the noodly Moody Gowns. Brainwash Festival IV @ Brudenell Social Club & Royal Park Cellars, Leeds 15 & 16 October The utterly fabulous Brainwash Festival returns for its sixth year, featuring some of the best local talent (Humanfly, trio VD, Juffage) along with other equally ear crunchinglytastic national and international touring bands. Unmissable. WU LYF @ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 19 October One of the most hyped bands of recent years come to Leeds. What’s all the fuss about? Go find out… Leeds Guitar Night @ The Wardrobe, Leeds 29 October A veritable orgy of refined and inventive guitar playing from Erik Mongrain, Giuliano Mondarelli and headlined by Leeds’ own master picker Jon Gomm. Handmadehands @ Santiagos, Leeds 29 October This trio of brothers make intelligent, artful and, well, grown up pop songs and released one of the best albums by a Leeds band this year. No, really…
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