Leeds in the Big Smoke

Stub’s London correspondent Henry Swales gives the lowdown of how Leeds bands are taking over the capital.

Kiosk continue to make waves all around the country, recently having won the Green Man Rising competition, meaning they will make their debut at the festival in August. One of their recent performances in London came at the Old Blue Last, where they opened a brilliant line-up, complete with Buffee and Another Country $$$$. The duo’s set of danceable tunes perfectly warmed the crowd up, with highlights including bassist Rory Maslen producing percussion by hitting the body of his bass as if it were a drum and playing the new single ‘Heaven Sent / Sure Shot’. ‘Heaven Sent’ is a particular highlight every time you see the band play. The fittingly angelic vocals, particularly in the chorus, provide a welcome contrast with the danceable groove of the track.

At perhaps the most iconic small gig venue of recent years - The Windmill in Brixton - there was a Leeds double header as both Clive and Normal Village featured on a fantastic bill organised by Pindrop Magazine. It is very encouraging that much of the Leeds scene appears to be mainstays of The Windmill as well, given the success of bands who have ‘graduated’ from the venue’s scene in the last decade. Clive’s set is absolutely scintillating; their heavily shoegaze-influenced sound, featuring long instrumental sections, is incredible, and they are tight throughout multiple time signature changes in many of the songs. Their stage presence has improved hugely since their inception. The group stomp their feet in tandem, and there is a brilliant, almost apathetic frontwoman, Siobhán Collins. She barely faces the crowd in a display of unapologetic energy, which is key in any self-respecting punk’s DNA. Drummer Aaron Hunt also stands out, having no problem with the aforementioned time signature changes, and there are some great chops from the stick bearer, too.

Normal Village headlined the night, sparking huge mosh pits throughout the crowd. Their Primadonna energy gives the band a bit of edginess. Guitarist and part-time frontman Spike Elwell had theatrically spat out a glass of water in the smoking area, “rank, London water,” he explained. But they back it up with their performances, switching between instruments as seamlessly as they do time signatures. The band’s air of confidence gives them a stage presence to be desired. Normal Village show no signs of stopping; recent tunes are as catchy as they’ve been to date, harnessing the prog-influenced, post-rock into something with a wider appeal. They never fail to create an impression on their audience and undoubtably we’ll see them graduate to bigger stages - their true test now is whether, if and when they play those stages, they can retain that crucial audience connection.

Now excelling at stages across the U.K. and Europe, Bathing Suits flew into The Windmill. It’s probably fair to say that Bathing Suits are one of the most exciting and fastest up-and-coming band from Leeds at the moment. This isn’t just my opinion. They won The Great Escape Festival’s Steve Strange award (including £5,000) in recognition of the huge impression they made at the festival among music industry delegates. It was never in doubt, Bathing Suits have been box office since their formation. Now it is just a question of how quickly the rest of the world sees one of their shows and inevitably becomes a fan. In the room, the crowd quickly becomes a fluid, crashing against each other in mosh pits, against the venue’s pillars, the bar, and the side of the stage. It is a privilege to see such a band whilst they are still playing intimate venues like The Windmill. They play a selection of songs, mainly hailing from their debut EP ‘KILL Bathing Suits’, with highlights like the 7-minute, unrelenting rendition of ‘Empathy’ sending the crowd into delirium. Many memories are made, many pints are lost. 

It is an exciting time for the Leeds music scene, and success in London recently is evidence of the community’s widespread appeal. It was a surprise to many around the U.K. when English Teacher became the first non-London band to win the Mercury Award in a decade - but not to the Leeds locals. Something has long been brewing in the underground of Leeds, and now, it is taking over the country. There is no doubt Leeds’ finest exports are going to continue to make waves in the capital… watch this space.

Words by Henry Swales. Pictures of Bathing Suits by Anna Jenkins Delf (@annajdelf).