• Home
    • Live Reviews
    • Features
    • In Pictures
    • Reviews
  • About Counterfeit
    • Advertising
  • Contact Us
Counterfeit Magazine - A Music and Arts Magazine here to give support & exposure to new bands & artists and writers & photographers of any experience throughout the North of England.
  • Live Reviews
    • Franz Ferdinand: O2 Academy, Leeds
      Franz Ferdinand: O2 Academy, Leeds
    • Indie Banquet: Wharf Chambers, Leeds
      Indie Banquet: Wharf Chambers, Leeds
    • Paul Weller: First Direct Arena, Leeds
      Paul Weller: First Direct Arena, Leeds
  • Features
    • Long Division Festival: Wakefield
      Long Division Festival: Wakefield
    • FLING
      FLING
    • Come Play: Various Artists
      Come Play: Various Artists
  • In Pictures
    • Arcade Fire: Arena, Manchester
      Arcade Fire: Arena, Manchester
    • Girl Ray: The Leadmill, Sheffield
      Girl Ray: The Leadmill, Sheffield
    • Stiff Little Fingers: O2 Ritz, Manchester
      Stiff Little Fingers: O2 Ritz, Manchester
  • Previews
  • Reviews
Written by Gary Sykes, photos by John Jowett

The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Brudenell Social Club’s Games Room hosted a very intimate gig with a close to capacity audience at the venues smaller stage. The lack of space was counteracted with an abundance of quality from three very different, but highly promising, bands. It was originally meant to be in the main room but was changed, I presume due to lack of sales. This turned out to be a bonus for the crowd as witnessing three talented and creative acts squashed into a small space gave you the feeling that you were witnessing something special. In a few years time I imagine plenty of them will be telling the story of when “I saw The Big Moon in a tiny venue at the back of a pub in Leeds, before anyone knew who they were”. I picked The Big Moon for this hypothetical reminiscing as they were the headliners but the sentence is equally as applicable to the other two support acts.

The first on stage, and the ones that impressed me the most, were Leeds based Sympathiser (formally Jasper House). They are a four piece with no gimmicks or pretence, performing completely in the moment and trusting their ability and creativity to win over the audience. Their opening number really showcased the levels of creative flair that the band possesses. It gave you the impression that they had just decided to jam on stage for a couple of minutes before properly getting going as they impressively switched from atmospheric blues riffs to catchy jazz influenced sections. Throughout their set they displayed a huge variety of different influences, even some 90’s style Mansun type moments. The highlight of this short set was their latest single “Too Much”, lead singer Sam Pycroft’s effortless vocals proved to be captivating. This band have a wealth of talent and deserve much more recognition in the future.

Sympathiser were followed by the ferociously energetic Virgin Kids. Despite lead singer and guitarist Asher Preston, who bares a striking physical resemblance to Ryan Jarman, having tonsillitis they didn’t hold anything back. They had a very Californian style similar to Wavves, surfer music undertones with explosive angst forming the main body of the work and elements of grunge. Never standing still on stage, constantly rhythmically jolting around, matching their energy input with the intensity of the music they create.

01 160407 Sympathiser  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
02 160407 Sympathiser  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
03 160407 Sympathiser  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
04 160407 Sympathiser  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
05 160407 Virgin Kids  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
06 160407 Virgin Kids  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
07 160407 Virgin Kids  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
08 160407 Virgin Kids  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
09 160407 Virgin Kids  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
10 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
11 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
12 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
13 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
14 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
15 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
16 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
17 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
18 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
19 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
20 160407 The Big Moon  | The Big Moon: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Both warm-up acts had set a very high standard for headliners The Big Moon and they pushed on from this kick start. From the very first track it struck me that they had arranged their songs so that the backing vocals were almost more integral to each piece than the lead. This was refreshing but it also clarified that they are a band who revel in their uniqueness. Each member of the band contributed either backing or lead vocals of a very high grade, and they were even more prolific in their musicianship and imaginative compositions. Pounding drums and wandering, rumbling. bass drove each piece as they switched from moody lows to frenetic explosions in the flicker of an eye. They all have casual and undeniably cool dress sense and demeanours but they stray away from the indifferent and distant personalities which often go hand in hand. On stage they are warm, bright, welcoming and engaging. Without exception they were smiley bundles of joy, clearly having a great deal of fun in the process. Highlights included “Nothing Without You”, “Sucker” and a frankly brilliant cover of Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger”.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
Previous articleThe Last Shadow Puppets: City Hall, Sheffield
Next articleMexrrissey: Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds

You may also like

Franz Ferdinand: O2 Academy, Leeds

Indie Banquet: Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Paul Weller: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Are you a robot? *

  • Live Reviews
  • Features
  • In Pictures
  • Previews
  • Reviews

Latest Articles

  • Long Division Festival: Wakefield
  • FLING
  • Arcade Fire: Arena, Manchester

Get Involved

We're always on the lookout for writers and photographers with a passion for their work, especially bright young things wanting to make a name for themselves.

We welcome anyone from any background or skill level, to get involved send a quick email to [email protected]

Menu

  • Live Reviews
  • Features
  • In Pictures
  • Previews
  • Reviews
Designed and maintained by our design works
Back to top
This site uses cookies More info