PEACE | RUN AND TELL THAT

Yes folk it was that time of year again! The weekend Leeds becomes one big music hub, showcasing new fresh music as well more established bands. Playing in many of Leeds finest drinking holes (nation of shopkeepers) and wonderful music venues (from the o2 academy to trinity church) what more could you ask for! This year promised to deliver even more than previous years! The sun was shining and millennium square was alive! one of the biggest queues I’ve ever seen, proving LAL is getting even bigger! After collecting our tickets it was time to see some bands. we headed to the academy and try to get in to catch pigeon detectives (a little nostalgia trip) they had a two hour queue to get in, proving they are still popular! next we sauntered up to Leeds uni to see some of the great bands that had been spread across the venues. we headed for Mine bar and we were not disappointed! I can only describe Castravola as hi-energy-climb-up-the-walls screamo and boy did they climb the walls it was perfect for Mine anything bigger would have lost the great sound and intimacy!

Around this time we heard a rumour that it was one in one out down at the Cockpit and people where already queuing for the headliners Peace! by 5pm it was at capacity!! So we where prepared for a longggggg wait.. When we finally got in Swim Deep were about to come on and let’s just say they tore the house down! they had the crowd going wild. i think they mainly appealed to the teenage crowd but dont get me wrong im far from a teen and i loved it! We still had two hours to wait until Peace, and with the exciting build up in the room we knew it was going to be one epic gig, and boy were we right! Peace really did deliver!!!! We have seen them several times in the past and they have been poor live however this time they seem to have stepped up their game, the bigger venue certainly suited them… As before, the crowd were slightly younger and little bit over the top (shall we say) which took some of the pleasure out of the experience (only due to pushing) especially when they played hits such as bloodshake and wraith! Over all they smashed it…from the crowd reaction and filling up the venue 5 hours early you can see these 90’s inspired indie boys are set for big things!

All in all it was a raucous day, filled with music, drinks and some brilliant fashions! My only criticism is that some the venues were too far apart and all the big bands clashed towards the end of the day, however it was overall a great day. Keep it up Live at Leeds! 🍻 Here’s to next year!