So, what does an obsessive music writer do on a night off? Drink beer and talk bollocks, of course, and on this particular night off, this writer decided to go and see some live bands. And then write about it. The reason for this busman’s holiday? Two great bands from the Leeds / York scenes I’ve been frothing on about for ages on the same bill, namely Battle Lines and Post war Glamour Girls (the less said about La Petite Mort the better – who needs talent when you’ve got expensive kit and a lot of 6th form mates who turn up at your gigs, eh?)
Post War Glamour Girls and Battle Lines are both (predictably) ace. Post War Glamour Girls open their set with the apocalyptic ‘Sestra’, which they usually end with, followed by a suitably stonking ‘Jazz Funerals’. The interplay between Alice’s sweet, melodic vocals and James’ gruff baritone, in conjunction with the two guitars criss-crossing one another and the thumping, elastic bass grooves define their unique sound, and not for the first time I’m struck by the complexity of their compositions, which are never content to follow any straightforward verse / chorus formula and instead keep the listener constantly on their toes. In what’s coming to be their established form, the perverse buggers shun their (rapidly expanding) back catalogue (including new single ‘Light Bulb’) to play a set of material that’s yet to be released, focusing on some magnificently dark tracks from their upcoming debut album. Anyone who’s heard the band will know by now it’s going to be a belter.
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Battle Lines are also sounding great, with a sound that’s crisp and clear as well as loud. Carly’s vocals are a shade quiet at first, and she appears to have a bit of a cough, but the levels are soon balanced and she gives a performance that’s taut and heartfelt . As ever, the band are tight and and while they kick off their set with an old favourite in the shape of ‘Stare to Declare’, their set is also given predominantly to new material. Dark and brooding but with a keen hook and new-wave pop sensibility, recent single releases ‘Hearts’ and set closer ‘Colonies’ are at once immediate and epic.
I couldn’t have asked for a better night off, really.
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