Don’t Cut It Out: Anna Erhard at the Brudenell

Saturday 19th July 2025                          

Support: Contrail 

Anna Erhard is one of those acts that is essential to attend in the rare event that they’re around. Your favourite indie musicians’ favourite indie musician. With recent praise from Hamish Hawk, who named her album as one of his summer listens, Anna Erhard is both a hidden gem and an established star. After selling out the Brudenell last October, still hot off her latest album and amazing live sessions on Radio 6, Anna returned in July to once again brighten the venue with her quirky Swiss charm and unconventional lyrics.

Ernhard was supported by Leeds’ own Contrail, whose atmospheric dreamy soundscapes filled the room with a quiet reverence. The highlight of their set was whenever the band’s thunderous saxophone came to the fore, with the band’s currently only streamable single, ‘Weather’, being the finest example of this. Much like Anna herself, Contrail have a sound that can’t really be found anywhere else. With the contrast of soft, Cranberries-esque vocals and sharp power movements of the instrument’s underneath, Contrail are an experience as much as they are band and emotionally resonant in a way that can’t quite be placed, but can definitely be felt. With nothing but time on their side, Contrail are ones to watch for the Leeds faithful.

Instantly affable from the moment she stepped on stage, Anna’s cheeky grin and flamboyant outfit set the stage for her performance. Amongst hits from her latest album, like the titular ‘Botanical Garden’ and the enlightening ‘Not Rick’ (both equally fantastic on the night) Anna used her time to play some of her deeper cuts, delighting her fans as they sang along and opening the eyes of those who had come due to her bigger songs. From the spacing of the eccentric upbeat weirdness of ‘Botanical Garden’ tracks to the darker tones of songs like ‘Tickling Weed’ from her first album ‘’Short Cut’. The absolutely astounding ‘Three Tons of Steel’ (seriously, listen to it!) from ‘Campsite’ created a wonderfully deep and rich showcase from a performer who could easily be pushed into the category of novelty music. 

Enthralling from start to finish and a feeling that anything could happen, be it shifts in musical tone or the drummer doing a seemingly endless stream of push-ups, an Anna Erhard concert is quite simply, a fun time. A shelter from normalcy and hot July evenings, Erhard is someone to set notifications for, someone to stalk because future tickets are a must for anyone who enjoys music, fun or a combination of the two.

Words and pictures by Natasha Dobson (@n_j_dphotography)

First picture: Anna Ernhard. Second Picture: Chloe of Contrail.