millie manders & the shut up

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Review & photos - Levi Tubman

This is a band I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. I’ve watched too many acts take to the stage and completely electrify a crowd, only for their albums to feel lifeless by comparison like a damp Tuesday afternoon on an industrial estate. Millie Manders & the Shut Up don’t have that problem; their recordings already carry the same intensity as their live shows, so expectations for tonight are sky-high. 

Luckily I got there a little early, before the doors even open there’s a decent queue, the band have a loyal following who want to get in down to the front but the support is also drawing people in early.  You know who you're here to see the moment you're in the venue. As you walk in the merch table is serving more than one purpose, it’s there to raise funds for charity, awareness and to promote sustainability, and support social justice causes, you're greeted with a poster to end Reform UK. This isn’t a stunt, or a band jumping on a band wagon, it’s a core belief of the band. A lot of their lyrics call out injustices in the world, tackling Socialinjustice, Inequality, exploitation and Global humanitarian crises. Often criticised for being too political too left or woke. God forbid music has become more political, Joe Strummer will be turning in his grave! If someone singing about genocide being a bad thing upsets you, you have a lot bigger issues to deal with! 

Opening up tonight are a new band to me,  All Ears Avow. These guys are part of the reason the venues already pretty full and a very bold choice. Without being showing and over the top, the came onto the stage and played as if they were the headlining band. These guys should be out there on their own tour, and a hard act to follow. Catchy high energy riffs combined with a friendly down to earth humility its impossible not to like them! 

The now very eager and excited crowd felt a bit like an extended family, easier with a smaller gig, but around me fans kept bumping into people they knew from other gigs or chats online. Sponges with “fun sponge” written on the, named for the song of the same name. A song about killjoys and energy vampires that didn’t fit anyone in the room. Opening up with said song, Millie was off skanking and bouncing all over the stage. Not just a casual use of the verb, this is someone who could give tigger a run for his money, there’s no letting up from start to finish, I was tired just watching. 

Quickly firing through 3 songs from the excellent 2024 Album Wake Up, Shut Up, Work, we get the obligatory welcome and thanks for coming from the band, thanking the support and selling out of the night. In the middle the UK we don’t often get to be the first or last night of a tour, the last night is bitter sweet, itsbeen fun and its sad to bring it to a close, but as it’s the last everything feels dialled up a notch, it’s the last one so it’s a farewell party!  

No set would be complete without Can I Get Off? A politically charged anthem that expresses frustration and despair at the current state of the world. Culminating in Millie standing on the stage risers, or soapbox if you will, chanting Fannie Lou Hamer’s mantra “No one is free until everyone is free!” to thunderous applause. Yes it’s a little preaching to the congregation here, the majority of the fans know what to expect and feel the same, but a voice shouldn’t be silenced while problems continue. 

You have to talk about her voice! Its every bit as good as the albums, managing to cut through the band, with a rawness to it, managing to convey a full range of emotions. You know just be looking at her or how she sings a single phrase if the songs full of anger, joy or hope, fully leaning into heart on your sleave. In amongst the catchy melodic vocals, there’s a smattering of spoken word sections, helping bring out the story aspects of some songs. 

Backing her up is a band just as energetic, with some gorgeous basslines that made my fingers itch to go home and play mine, with runs and passing notes, its Ska with a little edge, leaning more into punk at times to bring in power and aggression. Following the bass, the guitar mixes up traditional chopped ska, opening up to aggressive punk,  switching up strokes to down, opening up the chords. Im not sure the drums where mic’d up last night, or at least didn’t need to be, hitting them, like it was the last night of the tour, the sharpness of the snare cutting out across the stage tying the beat down with fast runs and aggressive cymbals.  

It’s a fantastic night, I love their music and getting to see them live just cements that. Everything is just that bit louder, that bit brighter, that bit more aggressive and wild. Theres a connection between the band and fans, with Millie kneeling out over the crowd singing to specific fans, the request for audience participation isn’t needed, I don’t think the crowd have missed a single word since the first song. Mixed in are the messages from the band, calling on support their fans to support a range of causes, but looking out at the array or Palestine and Trans flags, with shirts calling out TERF,s in the crowd id say the support is there.  I love this band and would happily watch them any day of the week. 

Sadly the tour is now over but after being treated to some new music tonight it wont be long before they're back out on the road, i'll be there and you   better be too, before tickets sell out. 

1.Fun Sponge  

2. Windows  

3. Shut Your Mouth  

4. Angry Side  

5. Silent Screams  

6. Can I Get Off  

7. Age Disgracefully  

8. Glitter Mix  

9. Obsession Transgression  

10 .R.I.P.  

11. Me Too  

12. Break Stuff (Limp Bizkit cover)  

13. Bitter  

14. Your Story  

15. Rebound  

16. Not OK 

Review & Photos - Anya Weston-Shaw

Yard Act brought a packed crowd together outside Brudenell Social Club for a set that balanced chaos, melody, and the band’s ever evolving sound. This all included a surprise poetry set from Phil Jupitus which was rather impromptu but incredibly enjoyable.  

During the Yard Act full album play through the title track “You’re Gonna Need a Little Music” showed just how quickly the new material has connected with audiences even when we haven’t heard the track before.  Truly, the opener “Empty Pledges” immediately set an anarchic tone which I rather enjoyed as the crowd moved freely throughout the set.

“Cherophobe Rock” was an obvious highlight, with much of the crowd singing and dancing along, while “Thrill Of The Chase” carried the same upbeat, danceable energy. “Janey Said” slowed things down slightly before “Redeemer” introduced a darker and moodier angle to the album, leaving the crowd transfixed throughout. “Talky Talky People” leaned further into the band’s newer synth-driven direction, while closing track “Over the Barrel” brought the set back to a melodic and feel-good atmosphere, showcasing the addition of synth and piano textures to the band’s sound.

There were lighter moments too, including a heckler requesting “New York Times,” prompting the lead singer to James Smith to retort, “That’s the name of a newspaper,” before carrying on to other suggestions of an encore. Finally the crowd requested a final track lineup featuring ‘Dark Days,’ ‘The Overload,’ ‘Fixer Upper,’ and ‘Trapper’s Pelts’. All of which felt refreshed and more energetic than the recorded versions, with the band embracing a looser live approach to close out a performance perfectly suited to a summer evening in Leeds.

Chuff Media

Review & photos - Levi Tubman

If you’ve never made it down to the Brudenell in Leeds, you’re seriously missing out. Tucked away in the middle of a student heavy housing filled with takeaways, cafés, terraced houses and crowds of people young enough to make me feel ancient, it’s easily one of the best live venues in the country. But tonight feels a little different. In all my years coming here, I’ve never seen an enormous V8 Dodge pickup parked outside with a “God Bless the USA” sticker slapped across the back window. The students are still here, of course, but tonight they’re vastly outnumbered by a sea of hats Stetsons everywhere, mixed in with baseball caps embroidered with stars and stripes, garage logos, and badges for Ford and Dodge. 

America has come to Leeds tonight. 

Tonight’s support is Meels, hailing from California, bringing her own blend of folk, country and whimsy. Certainly looking the part with a styled mess of blond curls that wouldn’t look out of place on dolly, with blue flares with white stripes ending in a an image of tree covered plains. Approaching the mic, with the wide eyed innocent look of someone just leaving their home town to seek their fortune for the first time she started the first song. The room just fell silent, singing with such beauty and delicacy, even the noise of my shutter feels too intrusive.Fitting in a cover of The Beatles, Don’t Let Me Down better than the fab four could ever do with a killer final note stretched far beyond expectation, she leaves the room hanging on every second before erupting into applause. With heartfelt songwriting and a voice impossible to ignore, Meels delivers an opening set that feels almost impossible to follow. 

As Kaitlin’s band take the stage, there’s a bear of a man, in overalls with no top underneath and a baseball hat, he screams out bass player all day long, but no, picks up a fiddle and joins in the band playing her intro song. Theres no messing around its straight onto the stage grabbing the mic stand and straight down to business. 

While they compliment each other well, it’s a stark contrast to the nights opening act, the music’s energetic and loud, the 4 piece easily filling the room, its not a night of smooth crooning. Never underestimate the power of a simple 4 piece band, its not over the top, there’s no wild effects, or hidden musicians, its tight, practiced and for lack of a better word simple. I say this as I look over and see the fiddle player leant right over playing it between his legs. The band are playful, dancing about with each other, trying to hit each others strings, laughing and playing up at times for the crowd, but never missing a beat, the level of professionalism that gives you the freedom to not look professional, to play about and have a laugh while keeping the music 100% on track. 

Oh course we have some audience participation, covering that American standard, Goodnight Irene, it doesn’t take much to get the audience to join in, and most know the words and are more than happy to join in. Standing a mix of first and second row back from the stage, imclose, but on more than one occasion I can hear the crowd singing over the volume of the PA. The crowd is friendly and fun, everyone is chatting between bands, people are taking photos of each other, strangers asking to get a copy of the set off someone’s phone, there’s no pushing and shoving, its civility without losing the power and energy, civil but still cheering on at the joke of Dead Earl’ing an abusive ex.  

Kaitlin’s voice definitely has that southern twang, a few notes here and there intentionally cracking slightly with raw emotion , stretching out words and syllables, her voice has style and bite, touching on that old outlaw country sound. It feels a little like a performance, slightly theatrical, the story telling is heavy, as good country music is, at times leaning into a simple small town country girl persona.  Theres nothing simple and small town here though, there’s drive and control, carried along by her talent, be it The Grand Ole Opry or European tour, this is someone who sets her sites on a goal and makes it happen.  

Throughout the night her dry humour is given free rein, with sass making its way into various songs, being as playful as she can be vulnerable when singing. For the evenings performance and remember, we shall believe that no Ex’s where harmed in the writing of these songs :D Kaitlin claims, maybe jokingly, she doesn’t write love songs as they’re too hard, but singing about her Ex, who isn’t dead, but is dead to her is still a love song at its core to me, it’s a night of love, betrayal the power to overcome. We were given more insight into the meanings behind the songs, as Kaitlin spoke between performances about their inspiration, the writing process, and the thoughts and emotions that led her to create them. With tales of meeting her peers, and being starstruck, the parts between the songs are almost asimportant, they’re part of the nights performance and the story telling, effortlessly bringing the audience in almost as if were all part of the tale. 

The band leave the stage for a song, while a camera, the tours social manager, is brought forwards to record a solo performance of a new song. Bringing out the simple small town persona again, joking “My label will be so proud of me”  for recording a video, referencing the “old Tiky Toky’s” from a performer that easily knows her way around online promotion, its nice it feels personal and gets a laugh. That’s the night though, everything feels warm friendly and personal, its not audience and performer, everyone’s here together just to have fun. The song, about a man and his wandering eye, with the opening line “Big lips big tits skirt with a split” receives a roaring laugh from the audience, but it also helps to show off the stripped back side, just acoustic guitar and vocals, warm, and full of emotion with a rich tone, it’s as beautiful as it is funny. 

As the night grows to a close were treated to one more cover, after claiming it was written after a less than productive writing session. Starting slow and soft, showing off her voice at its best, the band start up Jimmy Eats Worlds, The Middle. As expected, after the country spun intro the band builds up, bringing it back to its traditional rock roots, but the vocals are silent. In her eagerness to grab the mic from its stand its unplugged, Kaitlin spinning in confusion trying to find where the cable went while trying not to laugh too hard, the band take it in their stride and bring it all back round again for the second attempt, but this time with lyrics mixed with laughter. As the song winds up to its outro, She bows out leaving the band on the stage. 

Left to themselves the band really lean into it. Its louder and a touch more aggressive, full rich sound you’d find it hard to believe there’s just one guitar on, taking the stage as their own, its their time and it sends the show out on a high. It would have done except were treated to the increasingly rare encore, coming back on stage with one more to end finally end the night. 

The Brudenell always brings the best gigs and tonight is no exception. This year ive watched my all time favourite live band, coming up is a band that ive been desperate to see since the 90’s and another I never thought id get to see. But I can say, hand on my heart and a twang in my voice, that no other gig this year will beat tonight. 

Its one of those performance’s that manages to transport you somewhere else, you don’t feel like you're still in Leeds, the band hasn’t come to you, you’ve gone to them and you're in the southern states in a dark club, caught up in the live and tales of Kaitlin and her band. 

Review & photos - Huw Williams

Stripped down from festival scale and big-tour production, this outstore launch show for The Hoosiers’ new album “Compassion” was exactly what these intimate events should be: warm, funny and a chance for fans to really connect with the band.

With around 150 people in the famous Brudenell Social Club, the room perhaps felt a little emptier than the occasion deserved, especially for a band still capable of delivering catchy hooks and polished performance. Yet the sparse crowd almost worked in the band’s favour, giving the night the feel of an intimate conversation between band and crowd rather than a standard promo appearance.

Opening with solo performances of “So High” and “A Sadness Runs Through Him”, Irwin Sparkes immediately reminded everyone just how distinctive his voice remains. His falsetto soared effortlessly, carrying the emotional weight of the newer material beautifully. The chemistry between Sparkes and drummer Al Sharland remains one of the band’s secret weapons too, with the pair exchanging jokes, stories and even a celebratory high-five when Sharland finally joined him on stage.

Wall of Sound recently reviewed “Compassion” and the themes explored there surfaced repeatedly throughout the evening. Sharland’s explanation of the album title was one of the night’s most sincere moments, speaking passionately about the need for more understanding, more common ground and less division. It could have sounded preachy; in the room, it felt very genuine.

Musically, the set balanced old favourites with newer material beautifully. “Cops & Robbers”, “Sleeping With The Light On” and “Jigsaw Heart” all landed superbly, while an unexpected cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” drew a great reaction. A wonderfully daft “intermission” segment - involving a tape recorder, soundman Lewis and Sharland casually heading to the bar for drinks - perfectly captured the duo’s self-aware humour before Sparkes wandered into the crowd for a heartfelt serenade of “Don’t Hang Your Head”.

A playful snippet of Hozier’s “Too Sweet” during “Worried About Ray” earned knowing laughs, before “Mr A” closed 40 thoroughly enjoyable minutes.

And then, importantly, they stayed. Signing records, chatting with fans long after the lights came up. A classy performance from a classy band.

Sonic PR

Review & photos - John McEvoy

Blue’s appearance at Bradford Live on their 25th anniversary tour was the perfect fit for a new venue that is working hard to establish itself as a major stop on the touring circuit. With support from Mina Simone and 911, the evening leaned predominantly into nostalgia, but it wasn’t all consuming. 

Instead, the night had the atmosphere of a celebration: of polished pop, shared memory and the enduring appeal of songs built to be sung back at full volume. For a crowd that had arrived ready to relive a particular era of British chart music, the line-up delivered exactly what was needed — and, in places, a little more. 

Mina Simone opened the night with a set that worked less as a dramatic curtain-raiser than as a smart warm-up. Her presence gave the bill some contrast, bringing a smoother, more measured energy with a clever mix of pop and operatic pieces and there was a confidence to the performance that was a welcome reminder that support slots can do more than simply fill time. 

911, by contrast, arrived with a clear mission: get the room moving, and they did so with ease, tapping straight into the kind of buoyant, late-90s pop that makes even the most restrained audience loosen up. Their set had charm, self-awareness and just enough humour to win over anyone who may have initially been waiting only for the headline act.

By the time Blue took the stage, Bradford Live was fully engaged. After a 25 year career they know exactly what their audience wants, but one of the strengths of this show was that they did not coast on recognition alone. Their performance throughout was tight, slick and warm-hearted, with an easy rapport that made the large venue feel surprisingly intimate. 

Of course their biggest hits landed hardest, drawing the loudest reactions and turning sections of the set into full-scale crowd karaoke, but the band were at their best when they balanced polish with personality. There was enough looseness in the chat between songs to stop the evening feeling over-rehearsed, while the vocals remained strong enough to remind everyone why these songs connected so powerfully in the first place. 

It felt that rather than presenting themselves as a heritage act going through familiar motions, Blue came across as artists who still understand the emotional mechanics of a pop concert.

What lingered afterwards was not simply the memory of individual songs, but the sense of collective enjoyment that ran through the whole show. 

Blue were the obvious draw and fully justified top billing, delivering a set that was professional, affectionate and frequently exhilarating. Yet I have to say that the full line up should not be overlooked. Mina Simone set the tone, 911 raised the temperature, and Blue brought the night home with confidence. 

As a pop package at Bradford Live, it was hard to fault: generous, entertaining and exactly the sort of crowd-pleasing event that leaves people filing out into the night still singing the chorus.