self esteem
Stylus Leeds - 2nd March 22
Words & Photos - John McEvoy
Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem is certainly making quite a name for herself recently. It would be no exaggeration to say that the release of her album ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ in Oct of last year made one hell of a mark on the musical world and was critically acclaimed across the board.
Indeed, The Guardian and Sunday Times ranked this album as the best release of 2021!
So, it comes as no surprise to note that her current UK tour is playing to packed houses up and down the UK. Tonight, Leeds Stylus is no exception, and what struck me straightaway was the age range of the people there. Her new music seems to be achieving that difficult trick of appealing across the board from the younger end to the (ahem!) more mature audience!
It’s also worth mentioning if you don’t know already, that Self Esteem was originally a member of a folk duo called Slow Club, and that is a remarkable testament to the power of re-invention if tonight’s performance is anything to go by.
And so it was that just after 9:30 that she took to the stage with a couple of backing singers and unusually 2 drummers with no guitars. As you would expect, much of this set was heavily reliant on her new album and opening track “I’m Fine’ with its rumbling bass intro immediately had the crowd on her side.
These tracks are a million miles away from her previous incarnation as Slow Club, and clearly, she’s loving every minute of her new musical style. ‘Fucking Wizardry’ featured the powerful vocals of herself and the backing singers/dancers, all ably supported by the tub-thumping twin drum set up which gave the whole track a driving percussive feel.
Title track ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ was a genuine set highlight and was received with a roaring approval from the capacity crowd, and ‘Moody’ with its bouncy chorus had everyone dancing like no one was watching!
Personally, my favourite track on the new album ‘I Do This All The Time’ with its Soul II Soul feel was my highlight of the night.
It’s clear that tonight we were witnessing an act who is well and truly in the ascendency, and is currently treading the well-worn path of ‘paying her dues. This evening it was the Stylus in Leeds, but I think it’s a safe bet to say it won’t be long before Self Esteem, to use the football vernacular is playing in the premier league, and arenas and festivals are surely only a matter of time.
The UK tour continues throughout March and April, but you will need to move quick if you want to catch an act that with good reason is attracting a lot of interest.
Set list:
• I’m Fine
• Fucking Wizardry
• Hobbies 2
• Prioritise Pleasure
• Hobbies 1
• How Can I help You
• Moody
• You Forever
• In Time
• The 345
• Just Kids (Acoustic)
• I Do This All The Time
Encore:
• Still Reigning
• The Best
Links:
Photo Gallery
James Arthur
O2 Leeds - 14th March 22
Words & Photos - John McEvoy
Let’s be honest, the music talent show thing is a curious thing in that many of the actual winners over the years, have after the initial short burst of publicity after winning, simply disappear back into obscurity.
There have of course been some notable exceptions this rule…
After witnessing James Arthur on his current UK tour following the release of his fourth album ‘It’ll All Make Sense In The End’, it’s safe to say that he is now a premier live performer, and winning The X Factor 10 years ago in his case was far from being a millstone. In his case it provided a launch pad for what is now becoming a massively successful career.
Support tonight was from Sonia Stein, who I must confess was a new name to me. Her distinctive soulful pop style was warmly welcomed by the early crowd at the venue, and I would certainly expect to see some good things from her in the future.
A quick 30-minute pit stop gave everyone chance to grab a drink, and then just after 9, James Arthur took to the stage at what was now a packed O2 in Leeds, which is no mean feat for a Monday night!
Opening tracks ‘4000 Miles’ and ‘Medicine’ from the new album were ecstatically received by the crowd who sang along with every word, and it’s clear that he has become the consummate performer backed by a powerhouse band who were in fine form.
Throughout the set he prowled backwards and forwards across the stage engaging with all sections of the crowd, and his ability to move between full on dance/rock and acoustic is testament to his versatility.
What struck me throughout the gig was just how much both me and the band were enjoying themselves. I had heard reports that he had been a little nervous at being back out on the road again, but there was no sign of any nerves at all tonight.
Of course, no set would be complete without covering the big tunes and the ‘Sun Comes Up’ which was his collaborative effort with Rudimental had the crowd absolutely bouncing.
It was good to see that he’s very much aware of what started this whole career off, and the set wouldn’t have been complete without set closer ‘Impossible’ which if my research is correct is still to date the biggest selling single from the X Factor series.
Of course, there was the obligatory encore and ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ from his ‘Back From The Edge’ album felt like the perfect end to a set, that sent the crowd off into the night having witnessed a top drawer set from an artist who is clearly going from strength to strength.
The current UK tour continues through to the end of April and there a few tickets left but you’ll have to be quick. After that he’s off to the US where he’s already made great inroads into what is always a traditionally difficult market, so 2022 is a very busy year for James Arthur.
Set list:
• 4000 Miles/Medicine
• Sermon
• Déjà vu
• Falling Like The Stars
• September
• Can I Be Him
• Re-write The Stars
• Safe Inside/Empty Space/Emily
• Naked
• Last Of The Whiskey
• Always
• Sun Comes Up
• Impossible
Encore:
• Train wreck
• Lasting Lover
• Say You Won’t Let Go
Links:
James Arthur
Sonia Stein
echo and the bunnymen
O2 Leeds - 5th April 22
Words & photos - Levi Tubman
Echo and the Bunnymen finally made it to Leeds this week on yet another Covid delayed tour, billed as Celebrating 40 years of magical songs, while never quite reaching the heights of other bands of their generation they’ve survived and adapted to new sounds and styles, putting out music and touring, so I was excited to see what they would bring.
Opening for the band was spotify with a bad EQ. a selection of songs from mainly the 80’s, sometimes with questionable remixes playing one to the other with the volume and bass turned up so high that the speakers distorted making most of them unintelligible with the audience covering their ears and standing as far back as they could, so when the band came on, the audience was quite cold, just standing there not pumped up by an exciting support act, the whole room felt dead.
Tonight there was no pit photography and when security saw me take one photo from the side of venue I was approached and told all cameras have to be behind the mixing desk. I found myself wondering if this wasn’t a photo issue but that he just didn’t want anyone to see him coming on stage with 2 roadies using hand held strobe lights so you saw nothing but the lights.
The bands interactions with the audience were minimal, with the first few songs being kept for berating a sound engineer and occasionally stopping singing to shout and wave his arms to the side of the stage, When he did address everyone out front I could barely make his words out, singing and speaking was muffled and quiet.
I wasn’t the only one not impressed by the performance, a lot of the crowd were on their phones, and any cheers were mainly at the front of the venue. One fan in a tour T-Shirt said it was a waste of money, while Ian and only other original member guitarist Will Sergeant stood stock still. and Sergeant barely looked up from his guitar while playing.
Despite this...
You don’t make music for over 4 decades without some fantastic hits, and the crowd warmed to them with cheers for intros to personal favourites and singing choruses when the mic was tilted towards them, plus Ian has one of the best voices of his generation with some catchy well written lyrics for everyone to sing along with, just a shame the voice wasn’t there tonight
The show improved from time to time but for every peak there was a trough, it felt like most of it was just phoned in, like they couldn’t quite be bothered.
I hate to give a bad review, and speak negatively about a band, especially one of this calibre, and I’ve never had to leave one before, but that’s where the night went.
I’ve looked at other reviews of the tour and while some have had a few similar experiences overall they got a usually OK review, sadly I was left disappointed and glad to have seen them back when they were firing on all cylinders.
Links:
Paul Weller
Guildhall, Portsmouth - 1st April 22
Words by Chris Morley
Photos by John McEvoy
Since David Bowie's passing, are there many better contenders for the mantle of “greatest living musical chameleon” than Paul Weller? His various shifts in style as a solo artist surely position him at the top of any league table of such, & this latest stop on his Fat Pop tour showed why.
Emerging to the strains of Tomorrow Never Knows following a set by the Stroppies- surely Australia's best & possibly only exponents of motorik ( try the aptly titled Cellophane Car from second album Whoosh for prime Neu vibes), it was straight on & indeed into gear for White Sky from Saturn's Pattern, followed up with Long Time from the same source, a comparatively recent- looking backward glance for a man who normally gives every impression of being more interested in the next thing.
And so it proved with a trip around Cosmic Fringes before going back to As Is Now for From The Floorboards Up, a sense of urgency seeming to come over the man so reductively dubbed the Modfather- almost as if he just couldn't wait to get the older stuff over with & remove that particular millstone off from around his neck. But then the first of many surprises from the man who's seemingly made a career off the back of them followed with a sort of begrudging reappraisal of the Style Council- Headstart For Happiness & Have You Ever Had It Blue either side of Village before a heady whiff of McCartney as the junior Paul moved to the piano for Stanley Road.......
Then back into Saturn's Pattern to plunder Going My Way & the title track as the songs began to whizz by at a rate of knots. A switch to a touch of Curtis Mayfield- esque soul for More from On Sunset then slowed proceedings down somewhat- as well as showing off exactly what the second kit was there for on stage- the synth drum to the fore in bringing out yet more of an influence which has always been there, worn on his sleeve by the man making the most of their teachings even in his autumn years.
Perhaps mindful of the need for such a thing now more than ever, A Kind Revolution was then plucked out of the extensive back catalogue for an airing of Woo Se Mama- the lead in to more Style Council as It's A Very Deep Sea followed, soul clearly the goal as Rockets ( also from On Sunset) made it a hat- trick.
The first stirrings of the Motown production line ( with apologies to both Berry Gordy & Weller's home turf) arrived when Into Tomorrow was dusted off for a revisit to that pivotal first solo album, the admittedly not bad for a first go baby step on a road which hasn't always felt like a straight line & is probably all the better for it!
Indeed, just to show off how far he'd come Old Father Tyme was next off the list before something to be savoured given their relative scarcity on the set- list.....an actual Jam song predictably nearly bringing the roof off the Guildhall within seconds of those first Taxman- aping chords of Start!
If he'd chosen to walk off then, there's little doubt most would have been happy with their evening's lot. But as many an interview tells us, & despite a seeming allergy to retreading old ground, he & band were back after a quick post- Come On/Lets Go & Brushed breather for a positive goldmine of an encore.
Back to the old faithful piano it was for Broken Stones & You Do Something To Me- in a sense moving from Revolver into the White Album for a mere sniff of Sexy Sadie while he was there, laying it down for all to see before rising from the stool & strapping on the latest of what looked like a staggering array of guitars for That's Entertainment- cue roof rising again.
Only for the tempo to fall, expertly conducted, for a rendition of Wild Wood dedicated to the people of Ukraine. But as it should on such nights it quickly rose again for The Changingman- perhaps its author's defining mission statement as well as a fine if somewhat left-field love letter to ELO.
On this evidence, if it truly is the case that the more he knows, the less he understands, he hides any perceived lack of worldly wisdom incredibly well.
Without a shadow of doubt, this gig was well worth a two year wait.........
Links:
Photo Gallery
Metronomy
Leeds O2 - 23rd April 22
Words & Photos by Levi Tubman
Opening tonight was Hak Baker with his quite unique style, G-Folk. Its rare to see just one man on that big stage with an electro acoustic guitar and a grin, but Hak has more than enough personality to fill the room, you cant argue with his self-titled genre G-Folk, Grime and Folk. While the subject manner is growing up in London and nights wasted with friends, the music is soulful folk, with a warm tone to his voice that just calms the room, bringing himself to tears and fits of laughter as he went through his short set, he left the room, while oddly calm, happy, and entertained.
I’d heard a few tracks by the band before tonight, and while not quite my style, they were all catchy, well written with thoughtful crafted lyrics. I left it there, as seeing a new band I try not have any preconceptions about Metronomy, but of course I had done precisely that, but man were they about to prove me wrong.
The moment the rather unassuming band came on stage the noise started, the roar and screams from the not quite full venue were deafening. And when a double tap on the kick drum hit me, feeling it in my chest and shaking my clothes, it was clear that this wasn’t the standard Indie band I was expecting. Opening into their first song, dual bright keys filling the stage as Olugbenga’s driving bassline shook the room, playing with a massive grin on his face, doesn’t usually sound this good.
A big part of their sound is that everyone in the band sings, every song has a range of backing vocals, if the leads high, low voices take the space underneath.
Intricate harmonies? No problem, the entire range is taken care of, including dual lead from time to time, and if a song needed more guitar and less keys, Michael Lovett would quickly swap from one to the other, providing a surprisingly clear and complex wall of sound.
Their fan base is as wide as their musical style, ages ranging from single figures up to retirement, with family groups to Uni friends. Artists don’t get enough praise for bringing in new younger fans to see live music.
If you ever get the chance you really need to see these guys live, it doesn’t really matter what genre of music you like, stick around and they’ll soon sound like something completely different. They’ve a solid core of electronic indie sounds, but going from what could have been the Pixies mixed with Placebo, I found myself in a tropical rave, Reggae bass, thundering drums over happy dance keys, you could have been in a club in the tropics.
A constant positive high level energy from every song and band member, you could see just how much they where enjoying performing, interacting with the crowd between songs before launching into another storming number.
This has to be up there for the gig of the year, the differences between each song, the energy and passion they played them with blew me away. Proof that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I was surprised right up until the end of the encore, and while I might not be putting one of their albums on anytime soon, it was a pleasure to see them, and I challenge anyone to find a better band on tour right now.
Setlist:
1. Love Factory
2. The Bay
3. Corinne
4. Reservoir
5. It's Good to Be Back
6. Everything Goes My Way
7. Things Will Be Fine
8. The Light
9. Boy Racers
10. The End of You Too
11. Holiday
12. Insecurity
13. Loneliness on the Run
14. Salted Caramel Ice Cream
15. Right On Time
16. The Look
17. The Upsetter Encore:
Encore:
18. Old Skool
19. Love Letters
20. You Could Easily Have Me
Links:
metronomy
alt-j
Leeds O2 - 9th May 22
Words & Photos - Liam McEvoy
I had the absolute pleasure of catching Alt-J on the current UK tour in support of their latest, critically acclaimed album, and they delivered a powerhouse performance that had the place rocking from the first moment to the very last.
Taking to the stage to thunderous applause, they powered straight into what is the opening track from their newest album, ‘Bane’. This was swiftly followed by ‘Every Other Freckle’.
The opening tracks had the crowd bouncing from the very start and set the tone for what was an incredible performance. The band continued the set with electrical energy playing some of their most loved tracks like ‘In Cold Blood’, ‘Tessellate’ and ‘U&ME’. This had the crowd dancing and singing along, and during ‘Matilda’ vocalist Joe Newman took a break on the chorus allowing the crowd to sing the song back to the band.
Part way through ‘3WW’ Newman stopped the song believing an audience member had fainted. However, after confirming that all was well which was met with a thunderous round of applause, the band rounded off an incredible performance with ‘Dissolve Me’ and ‘Fitzpleasure’.
After a few moments and with the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag emblazoned on the big screen behind them, the band duly returned to the stage with Newman uttering the two simple words “fuck Putin”, and this was met with possibly the biggest cheer of the evening.
The band then performed a three-track encore, kicking off with ‘Left Hand Free’ this had the audience in a euphoric state. Then it was the newest single from their latest album ‘Hard Drive Gold’, and the gig was brought to a close with the epic ‘Breezeblocks’.
Currently there are only a handful of UK dates left on the tour, and I would urge you to try get to one of the remaining dates, as this a gig you will not forget in a hurry.
Set List:
1. Bane
2. Every Other Freckle
3. The Actor
4. In Cold Blood
5. Deadcrush
6. ❦ (Ripe & Ruin)
7. Tessellate
8. U&ME
9. Matilda
10. Chicago
11. Something Good
12. Nara
13. 3WW
14. Philadelphia
15. Taro
16. Dissolve Me
17. Fitzpleasure
Encore
18. Left Hand Free
19. Hard Drive Gold
20. Breezeblocks
Links:
Alt-J - Photo Gallery
Declan Mckenna
O2 Liverpool - 4th May 22
Words & Photos - Anya Weston Shaw
This gig was a rather daunting one as I have been a long-standing fan of Declan McKenna for a while and wanted my photos to do justice.
When I walked in to the 02 Academy Liverpool, I was met with one of the most aesthetically pleasing stage setups that I have seen with a touring act of McKenna’s size. Disco balls set either side of the stage, checked patterns on the drum riser and also accents of the pattern in other areas. This made me so excited to have the opportunity to photograph.
A first for me was we had to get out of the pit for confetti cannons to go off before we could go in to photograph the 2 songs after. The confetti moment did provide some great photography opportunities. Declan McKenna is a real showman and consistently leaned in front of the pit allowing the photographers to go crazy and get some interesting perspectives and angles.
The gig overall was not best I’ve seen him perform. There was a lack of interaction from the crowd which I was surprised about. Declan himself didn’t really come into the crowd or add that extra dimension within the performance.
Also, there were a lot of guest vocalists that came on to sing his original songs with him which usually would be quite a refreshing mix up for the set but with people singing duets with him in Make Me Your Queen and other songs it kind of led to them losing a bit of impact in the audience.
However I really did enjoy the energy of other parts of the set including some of his new tracks of Zeros and old fan favourites such as Brew, Humongous and The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home.
Overall, the gig was enjoyable and held my attention and had me singing loudly, it was just different to other performances I have seen. This gig was a lot more professional and polished.
It’s nice to see progress within his live sets and growth in his touring set and his confidence as a musician, but I wish it was a little more spontaneous. I guess it depends on what the individual wants. Maybe it’s just because I’ve seen him progress over time that I need to get used to the new, polished and very cool Declan Mckenna.
Links:
Declan Mckenna - photo gallery
Michael Kiwanuka
Leeds O2 - 8th May 22
Word & Photos by John McEvoy
As we all know, Covid brought the world to a stop for some considerable time, and whilst it still hasn’t gone away, certainly within the world of tours, bands are finally back in the road once again.
The tour was originally due to call into the O2 in Leeds in 2020, but unfortunately he contracted laryngitis, and then of course the pandemic hit. So here we are, two years later and finally he’s able to tour his third album ‘Kiwanuka, that originally came out in 2019.
So it was a packed Leeds O2 that welcomed Michael Kiwanuka back to Leeds and they weren’t going to be disappointed.
Accompanied by his band and two backing singers he shyly arrived on stage front and centre and went straight into ‘Piano Joint’. His laid-back soulful vocals accompanied by backing singers with some of the finest voices I’ve heard in a long time felt the perfect way to ease himself back into the limelight.
Then it was straight into the Motown flavoured ‘You Ain’t The Problem’ which had the desired effect on the audience who were only too happy to dance along.
One of the risks normally associated with touring a new album is that your audience may be hearing some of these tunes for the first time and this can result in a somewhat muted response.
Bizarrely in this case, because of the 2-year delay in getting this tour on the road, people have had plenty of time to listen to the ‘Kiwanuka” album and these tunes now seemed like old friends.
One notable exception to the run through of the album was the inclusion of ‘Black Man In A White World’ from the ‘Love & Hate’ album which was encouraged a nice bit of audience participation with some energetic clap along!!
It would be no exaggeration to say that there is a very good reason why Michael Kiwanuka is highly regarded by critics (myself included) his peers and the general public. The simple fact is that he’s damn good at what he does in terms of both writing and playing.
It helps of course when you surround yourself with a band and backing vocalists of the highest quality, but this is an artist who clearly has that special ‘something, and based on the three albums to date, and the live performance I witnessed in Leeds, appears to be getting better and better.
I’m fairly sure that those people who have been lucky enough to catch him on this UK tour would agree with me.
Set list:
• Piano joint
• You Ain’t The Problem • Rolling
• I’ve Been Dazed
• Black Man In A White World
• Hero (Intro)
• Hero
• Hard To Say Goodbye
• Light
• Final Days
• Solid Ground
Encore:
• Living In Denial
• Home Again
• Cold Little Heart
• Love & Hate
Links:
Michael Kiwanuka - Photo Gallery
Kae Tempest
Leeds Stylus - 11th May 22
Word & Photos - John McEvoy
Seriously….
Is there anything that Kae Tempest can’t do? Poet, Rapper, Playwright…..
Recently I was lucky enough to catch Kae Tempest on their current UK tour and I’m glad I did.
Accompanied by the gifted musician Clare Uchima on keyboards, Kae Tempest arrived onstage and firstly thanked everyone for making the effort to get to this gig and spoke passionately about how much this gig and the tour meant to them.
And then it was straight into the new album ‘The Line Is A Curve’ doing every single track and what a confident, self-assured performance it was.
With Uchima providing the down tempo, (Massive Attack style) hip hops beats, their flows had a hypnotic effect on the watching audience.
It’s quite rare not to see people videoing or taking a pic at a gig these days, but what struck me was that not one single person was doing this. Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE was utterly mesmerised by this performance and I include myself in that.
There were no overly spectacular lighting effects etc, it was simply Kae Tempest doing their thing, prowling the stage delivering their lines with real passion and energy.
It was my first time catching Kae Tempest live, and it must be said that the critical acclaim they they’ve received is well deserved. On the face of it, you may think this format shouldn’t work, but I can attest to the fact it most certainly does.
For me, this was one of THE gigs of the year, and I am grateful that I caught this this set from someone who has a unique gift that frankly should be treasured.
Set List:
• Priority Boredom
• I Saw Light
• Nothing To Prove
• No Prizes
• Salt Coast
• Don’t You Ever
• These Are The Days
• Smoking
• Water In The Rain
• Move
• More Pressure
• Grace
• Brand New Ancients
• Europe Is Lost
• Marshall Law
• Ketamine For Breakfast
• Circles
• Firesmoke
• Holy Elixir
• Peoples Faces
Links:
Kae Tempest - Photo Gallery
