Street Fighting Caravan

Up to Leeds early morning train for a brief days work and then wet cycle ride along the Leeds Liverpool canal before turning off to get on the Old Otley Road and gingerly descending from the Chevin on a soaked slippy road to be welcomed warmly as usual by Ramsay and Jo. Next day I cycle off to Knaresborough with John to catch le Tour de Yorkshire. Bloody cold in Knaresborough with snow on the higher hills and a biting wind. Ride back we're buffeted by strong winds and struggle up, and me down, the hills. Evening sees us go out late for a couple of pints in Otley before an earlyish night. Saturday morning I get up to see the start of the womens TdY before John Bees and Olly arrive and soon we're all off on the bus into town to collect our free Press and VIP beers, or cider and to meet Poppy and various others. So we're all set for Live at Leeds 16. First up is Fighting Caravans who are mainly fast and punky with a a couple of slow neo crooning ones thrown in to keep us on our toes. And on our toes we need to be as the singer jumps into the audience sending Jon's drink flying all over him in a (retrospectively) hilarious King Kurt moment which Olly and I had just been laughing about at the VIP drinks area. Jon wanted Olly's pint to throw over the singer (he likes squaring up to singers, must be the guitarist in him) but we calm him down and he just spends the rest of the set glowering at him. Afterwards we all laugh about it with the singer. Did I say what they're like.... big guitar sounds in a hard twangy rock n roll way. A great start to the day in so many ways. Next we're off to ZoZo (not to be mistaken with ZuZu who are confusingly also at LAL16) and they're a game of two halves. Hard shouty rock and roll from the one singer and well crafted post power pop from the other singer. Counterpointed by a big dirty bassy sax that could have been the offspring of Ted Milton (Blurt) although none of the band had heard of him. Very enjoyable stuff and they too jump into the audience and throw a half empty water cup into the crowd. Of course Jon is right there but it could be worse. And has been. We duck into the stupidly shaped Key Club to catch Fizzy Blood's last number but can't really see them. This is where my only "must see" of the day is - Milk Teeth but they've pulled out. As has the main star of the day Jess Glynne apparently on doctors orders but we think she had a big night out on Friday. Feeling adventurous we catch a cab way out to the Brudenell Club.

We've travelled so far to see Kagoule who I'm hesitant about as not really been overly impressed when idly listening to them on streaming sites. However I'm immediately won over by their hard edged sort of poppy sound but not really pop at all. Let's just say it's accessible. The guitarist reminds me of David Byrne in looks and attitude and the music is sort of that way inclined. Drum beat holding it together and all overpowered by a magnificently growly dirty bass bins distorted bass that sound straight out of Jean Jacques Burnell for throbbiness verging into Big Black. A more current description may be those north American (I include Canada here) girl bands. A great sound and won over. We extravagantly taxi back to the fabulous Nation of Shopkeepers where it aint so much today cos they've separated the bands from the rest of the bar. Ah well a swift pint in the sunny courtyard and we go inside to position ourselves nicely down the front for the hotly anticipated FEWS, These lads give us a great mix of hard spunky rock tinged with psychedelic undertones, and a few overtones, which I promise is the last reference even approaching Hawkwind. They weren't as rock as the Masters of the Universe but I'd put them on the same bill. They certainly didn't look like ageing rockers but well cool. I didn't take a photo as having far too much fun. They generously shared the mic around and Malcolm sang a great duet with the singer which was later commented upon very favourably by some random young girls as we passed them much later in the day. My Iggy inspired effort was apparently edited out by the sound mixing guy as Ramsay said he couldn't hear me. Probably just as well as my singing is probably worse than my bass playing. Obviously driven into a frenzy hearing old men their dads age singing the bustle of kiddies next to me and Malcolm started jumping about and, as seems to happen to me too often for my own good, I find myself in a teenage dirtbag mosh pit. It was all good fun and I think they liked me pushing them around as they all gave me fair dues afterwards. We chat to the band and then Ghost Poet who is on the merch desk which was a bit weird but hey.

Next we go see a band more likely to cause an old school mosh as it's those cheeky chappies with the political edge, ain't that good to hear at rock gigs, wasn't rock meant to be subversive?, that is the great Kleine Schweine who more than adequately fill the larger venue than last year (corner of a pub) and thrash out some old time punk rock. Great stuff. We stay at the Uni for Otherkin who are a punk proto stadium bare chested band, that's another theme for today, and enthusiastically jump among us. Not my usual cup of tea but how can you fault such fired up kids and it's just what me and Malcolm need to remind us that we're young at heart. Possibly our actual hearts would contradict this so maybe it should be young in soul. Hmmm, or maybe not. Young in something anyways aren't we Malcy? After that most of the cru repair to the Leeds boat bar (not sure how that was washed up so far from the sea) and one Jamaican Wray And Nephew Overproof White Rum and coke later we're back at the Uni for Autobahn who live up to their industrial rock name and some. They're less Kraftwerk and more the Cure when they are in their darker moodier moments which seems to be when out of the recording studio and live outside. They're good as you might imagine if you believe that description. Feeling like we need a bit of air we wander to the nether regions of LAL catching a couple of very funny poems by local Mickey P Kerr before reaching the Wardrobe. Here we see the amazing Pumarosa who blast us with hard funky beats interjected with keyboards and with a great swirly guitar even breaking into glissando guitarness courtesy of our lead singer who makes her guitar sing with what looks like a drum stick with a bauble on the end. It's the best of dance we've heard today, if not the best full stop, tripping into eyes closed hands in the air moments. The singer clocks Malcolm and me a couple of times so after Malcolm asks her who she was looking at. Much to Malcolm's disappointment it was me as I apparently looked beautifully blissed out. She's not wrong there. Must go see at a festival out in the open with a bit more room to dance than hovering on steps at the Wardrobe as lovely a place as it is.

Back up to the Belgrave for the grand finale. First up are Beaty Heart who as Jon says are our marmite band splitting opinion and location. Jon obviously likes marmite. So do I. A lot. The Beatys give us a sort of alt rock rhythm with heavy neu dub getting some of our cru dancing and some leaving for the roof top bar. Nice dancing band. Good. Then we have Hælos who continue the dubby vein alternating between hip hop vocals from a cool dude and searing soaring female vocals bringing us up and down beautifully. Last but not least are Formation who called me out for being old at Latitude but seem happy to have a few folk my age dancing to them tonight. And get folk dancing they certainly do with more strident bare chested dance rock like a cheeky up beat side of the rock dance coin on the other side to LCD Soundsystem. Close but different. Both worth being there for. It's a great end to the night and we (well some of us) decide that enough is enough and eschew the draw of the Wardrobe after party. Taxi home with greasy samosas. How else to end a full day of music and beer.

Sunday Olly goes early and the rest of us, well not John P who's vegging out, go for a lovely walk in the lushness of the Ilkley bluebell wood. Then Jon Bees is off with a parting shot and I'm left with the Palmer cru for extreme relaxation. Great weekend all round. Thanks a million Otley family.

P.S. Leicester City. Well done. Fantastic. St Totteringham's Day on May 15th this year? There's hope for Leeds United yet!

Ramsay up early for the womens Tour de Yorkshire

Fighting Caravans - before they upset Jon

Trying to hide from an irate Jon

ZoZo - probably moaning about the monitors

ZoZo wigging out

Kagoule keeping it dry

FEWS certainly blew a few

Kleine Schweiner punx not dead

Otherkin go get em lads!

Autobahn on the road to somewhere

Mickey P K in full flow

I obviously need a ridiculous tache to improve my bass playing as this guy is good

Quiet before the storm

Glissando guitar with percussion instrument, Worked

Beaty Heart serve up heartfelt beats

Hælos' soaring vocals...

... over to you Rap Boy (Rat Boy himself was elsewhere in Leeds)

Formation on form

Things are hotting up

Yep too hot for a shirt - the last bare chest of the night....

Ilkley bluebell wood - a great way to spend the day after LAL16

Lovely tree

Jon makes it up the slippery slope after Rams and Jo

Ilkley Moor - I wouldn't go up there without me hat