Psicle: Helve Weekend

After being picked up from Menston, a quick chat with Jo and Maisie and fortification by Jo's typically gorgeous chilli Ramsay and I venture out to the X.84 via a swift one and natter in the Old Cock. We hop off the bus at Hyde Park (Leeds, not London) and wander down to the Brudenell Club where after being told off by a security bloke a third of our age we only get to see a bit of Caravan for free. They sounded like I remembered them and the security guy was quite right to not let us rubber neck them. So away from the oldies and into the Other Room where we catch an extremely entertaining set by Sofa King. A load of synth noise, cartoon voice blend-ins and very odd lyrical content plus dipping his hands in what I think was fake blood or summat and subsequent giggling when trying to play his keyboard. He built up to a sort of disco-ey dance frenzy before leaving us. Difficult to describe so go see. After SK was a very competent 80s synth plus occasional guitar duo called Jellyskin who were shoegazing in attitude but don't let that put you off as they delivered a good set. The headliners are Team Picture who are a lively bunch delivering a jumpy indie vibe with a bassist who thinks he's in a jazz funk band (nowt wrong in that) and a great front man who guides us through the set. And so to home...

... and by about 10 am we are out again to meet Malcolm at the bus stop for the old X.84 family ticket into Leeds for Live at Leeds. First up is the traditional kicking off point of the cramped Oporto bar, well the stage room is cramped, where we are treated to a wake up call by Artio delivering a barrage of heavy rock with a punk tinge and shouty rapper vocals. I liked it but not sure Malcolm was as enamoured. Next up is our early visit to The Wardrobe to see Low Hummer who are a bit of light relief giving us an excellently indie set with an edge. A big sound being a six piece with vocals shared between an energetic bloke and woman guitarist. Sort of laid back stoner at times with a jangly Courtney Barnett thing going on. After a quick trot to the Beckett we catch Baba Ali which are a main singer who hails from the USA (I assume by his accent) playing synth and a great choppy-chainsaw-thru-synth guitarist who also plays synth. A strange lurching between weird NY 70s electro thru UK 80s electronica and into all out mid Atlantic funky disco vibes. Good to dance to and great to listen to. Nice. Eschewing 90 minutes of the Reverend and the inevitable Yorkshire Yorkshire chanting me, Malcolm and Paul (of Scaramanga Six fame which I only realise half way through our walk) step up to the lovely Hyde Park Book Club where we always catch some unexpectedly great new music and great grub. Beers good too. Maybe we should expect it by now. We are not disappointed as we find the magnificent Helve that entertain us right up to the hilt. They are difficult to describe as within the same tune one minute you are rocking back with eyes closed listening to beautifully evocative vocals with a little incidental guitar and jazzy cymbal tapping and the next gone into a headbangingly heavy shoe gazingly nodding mush of guitar and synth underpinned by a pounding drum and bass pushing you forward lurching stageways. The trombone says it all about their diverse influences and innovation. They are lovely boys too seemingly genuinely appreciative when we chat to them over our lunch afterwards. The best so far and possibly of the night. They look damn cool too. South London is still churning out those sleazy jumpy rockers. Swim School are next up and give us a lovely slice of just post punk rockingness with a boppy poppy vibe which at a one off gig would be great but now slightly overshadowed by what came before. I would say a bit like Altered Images but that would be too lazy as the singer is a brassy Scot. But there again not far off the mark. Staying put next up are an interesting and striking female trio Deep Tan who play off the wall tunes with a real twangy guitar a big running bass and driving drums. An odd sound reminiscent of late 70s early 80s avant garde anti popsters. Excellent way to leave the venue having seen 3 great bands at different ends of the pop sleaze alt spectrum. Malcolm leaves myself and Paul to taxi into town where Paul has to hot foot back to Huddersfield (my only trip there being Arsene's last game) and I get to the cramped Key Club before the others arrive to see a great disco bondage dance routine set by Lynks last seen remotely at the Windmill during what will be seen as that erosion of civil liberties the Great Global Covid Lockdown. Up to the Brudenell to catch a rocking punky set by L'Objectif who have style and attitude in abundance. I then leave the others to pop next door to catch a lovely and unexpected slice of guitar driven angst by Aaron Smith before accidentally chatting to the lead of The Murder Capital who I've seen before, Malcolm is definitely seeing but Ramsay has ordered me not to see as I'll never catch up with them all towards the end of the night. Anyway the cool rock star allows Malcolm to take a snap and then it's in to see a laid back but heavy with occasional thrashing set by Just Mustard. Back in town we groove along to a jangly shouty alt rock set with a tinge of heaviness by Life. Around this time there's a few of us drinking on a roof top bar and after a pick-me-up we dance as if no one's watching. Hopefully most were ignoring us. We stumble upon a great rapping electro set by a young South London singer and collaborator on the synth called R.A.E which is just what we need being a funky soulful electro slice of rappinghood to a very select but appreciative crowd. It would have been a lovely end to the evening but being traditionalists we head back to The Wardrobe for the final band The K's who seem to be Brit Pop wannabes but very entertaining and an excellent lead in to bopping around to the indie disco before we taxi home tired but contented. [According to others it was RAE then roof dancing and we didn't see the K's and I must have hallucinated a Brit Pop band that I saw on Clashfinder must be them.] Another great LAL. I break with tradition and travel back south on the Sunday. Thanks Ramsay and Jo for the laughs entertainment hosting band recommendations and food... and thanks Malcolm for the chat and communing together listening to unknown new bands in a damp cellar. See you in 6 months for LAL22.

The photos are all out of sequence but I can't be bothered to reorder. Am sure no one will notice.