Brudenell Social Club rarely disappoints with both its choice of headliners and the local support acts they open gigs with. This gig was testament to this and really showcased what Leeds has to offer. The opening act were Menace Beach who, despite this being their first gig, showed real potential and already had some of the characteristics you would expect from an outfit who had done the rounds. Musically their sound was reminiscent of early The Dandy Warhols, the guitar parts where certainly influenced by that age of alternative American acts. Along with intentionally distorted vocals this made an interesting combination and their set went by a little too fast for my liking.
I thought Menace Beach were good and was expecting big things from Post War Glamour Girls. My expectations were already very high for this set but they were much better than I had expected they would be. They used this set to showcase a lot of material that will feature on their debut album which is due out in October, after this gig October can’t come soon enough for me. Their style is beyond comparison, not just because of its quality but also because it is like nothing you will have heard before. This truly unique band combine moments of beauty with moments of real passion and angst to brilliant effect. Their songs bubble away until they overflow, Alice’s bass is broody and builds along with the guitar and James’s vocal until they are thrashing and stumbling about and the vocals become raw and impassioned. James has an impressive vocal range fully capable of switching from moments of tenderness to screeching anger. Their final song ‘Sestra’ really encapsulated what they are all about and ended their set on a real high.
Post War Glamour Girls would be hard to follow but Lone Wolf capped off a great night perfectly. His haunting vocals accompanied by his band had the audience encapsulated. He opened with ‘The Lovers’ and from that moment on everyone was transported to a happy place by his mesmeric vocals and atmospheric music. This gig was the launch of his latest album The Lovers and throughout the gig he expressed genuine gratitude to the fans for turning up and also for pledging in order to fund the album. The gig was a showcase for the new album but it was also a thank you to the fans, so there were a few tracks from The Devil And I strategically placed in there too. The final treat and thank you for the fans was the encore which was fans favourite ‘Keep Your Eyes On The Road’.
