243. The Ordinary Boys: Lending Room, Leeds [25.9.16]

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243a_The Ordinary Boys [250916]Artist: The Ordinary Boys

Support: Benson

Venue: Lending Room (The Library), Leeds

Date: 25.9.16

It would be fair to say that lead singer (Preston) well and truly had his 15 minutes of fame during his Britpop and Big Brother days.

Recently reunited, The Ordinary Boys took to the stage at the Lending Room, before a crowd of merely 100 people, many of who were there for local support band Benson. However, the intimate venue and no frills performance took ‘the boys’ back to basics, with the focus on live music, rather than the trappings of fame and fortune.

Less is more. Ordinary is fine.

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Setlist:

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242. OnRoundhay: Roundhay Park, Leeds [17.9.16]

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242a_OnRoundhay [170916]Artists: James / Primal Scream / Wolf Alice

Venue: Roundhay Park, Leeds

Date: 17.9.16

With sponsorship from John Lewis and Puffin Books, and an emphasis on being family friendly, the inaugural OnRounday event had a somewhat middle-class feel, but proved to be a rather pleasant one-day festival.

It was nice to see so many kids enjoying their first experience of live music, from an excellent selection of bands. The family-friendly vibe (or possibly the expensive drinks) seemed to ensure that the event was devoid of the usual herds of drunken knobheads – always a plus-point!

OnRoundhay would be a welcome annual event, so long as they can match the high standards of its first year.

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238. Centre Stage 2016 – The Final: O2 Academy, Leeds [27.7.16]

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238a_Centre Stage [270716]Artists: The Mallrats / Tree / The Elephant Trees / Faux Pas / Lewis Crossley / The Indigo Project / Big Bad Rabbit / Shaarks / Liberate / Territory / Blyss

Venue: O2 Academy, Leeds

Date: 27.7.16

Centre Stage is an annual ‘battle of the bands’, curated by Martin House Children’s Hospice. The competition showcases fresh young talent, many of whom go on to greater success in the music industry. The winning band receive the prestigious prize of playing live at that year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals.

The 2016 final kicked-off with a set by the previous year’s winners; The Mallrats.

The winning band of Centre Stage 2016 was Faux Pas.

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233. An Evening with Marc Almond. Accompanied by Leeds College of Music Contemporary Orchestra and Pop Choir: Leeds Town Hall [8.7.16]

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232a_marc-almond-080716Artists: An Evening with Marc Almond. Accompanied by Leeds College of Music Contemporary Orchestra and Pop Choir

Venue: Leeds Town Hall

Date: 8.7.16

Generations of home-grown talent took to the stage of Leeds Town Hall – as local legend, Marc Almond performed a stunning set of re-arranged classics, accompanied by some of the city’s finest musicians.

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227. New Order: The Warehouse Project, Manchester [5.12.15]

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226a_new-order-051215Artist: New Order

Support: Erol Alkan [DJ Set] / Factory Floor

Venue: The Warehouse Project, Manchester

Date: 5.12 15

So much anticipation . . . followed by so much disappointment.

Reinvigorated by the release of their critically acclaimed album, Music Complete; New Order tried to recreate their Haçienda heyday, at The Warehouse Project in their home town of Manchester.

When the gig was announced, many fans were bemused by the relatively small venue, and late stage time. Had the band considered their long-term fans and target audience, in an attempt to be cutting edge and hip?

The evening started off well, with Factory Floor playing a blinding set in the fairly spacious venue, consisting of three disused arches below Manchester Piccadilly Station. However, as Erol Alkan’s DJ set progressed, and anticipation built for the main act, most of the crowd converged in the venue’s central arch.

By the time New Order took to the stage, there were simply too many people in the available space. Many of the audience could not see or hear the band properly, and some left the gig early, in disappointment.

The band played a varied set with an emphasis on new tracks from their ‘Music Complete’ album. Songs featuring Elly Jackson (La Roux) on guest vocals were particularly good. However, the overall atmosphere was marred by being crammed in, with difficulty to see and no space whatsoever to move. At times the situation felt dangerous, and I left with a sense of ‘regret’.

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Setlist: Singularity / Crystal / Restless / Your Silent Face / Tutti Fruitti / People on the High Line / Bizarre Love Triangle / Waiting for the Sirens’ Call / Plastic / The Perfect Kiss / True Faith / Temptation // Atmosphere / Love Will Tear Us Apart / Blue Monday

226. Simple Minds / The Stranglers: First Direct Arena, Leeds [27.11.15]

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225a_simple-minds-271115Artist: Simple Minds

Support: The Stranglers

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 27.11.15

Starting the evening on a high note, The Stranglers performed a support set of classic, timeless tunes, still sounding edgy but brilliant.

Simple Minds upped the ante and delivered a full-on stage show, flaunting an outstanding discography spanning decades. A spectacular showcase, bordering on glitzy but with a sense of celebratory style.

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225. CUD: The Wardrobe, Leeds [26.9.15]

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224a_cud-260915Artist: CUD

Support: John Parkes

Venue: The Wardrobe, Leeds

Date: 26.9.15

Asquarius [Live]: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release, CUD performed their third album in full, followed by a selection of other favourites.

The Wardrobe’s sound system struggled to cope with the mighty CUD during this intimate, but somewhat distorted gig. Hence my film footage ended up as a silent movie.

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223. Madness: Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds [18.9.15]

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222a_madness-180915Artist: Madness

Venue: Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds

Date: 18.9.15

Unbelievably, this was the first ever live concert to be held at Headingley Cricket Ground.

Always the showmen, Madness never fail to deliver a nutty selection of their classic tracks. Although, in my opinion, the absence of Chas Smash from the lineup left them ‘one step behind’ their former glory.

We opted for premium tickets, including tour merchandise and exclusive access to the Gladness Beer Garden, which served the band’s own brand of craft lager.

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220. Embrace: Unity Works, Wakefield [28.5.15]

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Artist: Embrace

Support: Sons of Great Men

Venue: Unity Works, Wakefield

Date: 28.5.15

Wakefield’s intimate and stylish Unity Works hosted this warm-up gig for Embrace’s forthcoming American tour.

A set of singalong anthems from one of the UK’s most consistently brilliant (and underrated) bands.

Setlist: Protection / In the End / Someday / All You Good Good People / Follow You Home / Come Back to What You Know / Save Me / Yeah You / One Big Family / Quarters / Gravity / Total Eclipse of the Heart / Refugees / Ashes // DNA / The Good Will Out.

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219. Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular: First Direct Arena, Leeds [27.5.15]

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218a_dw-symphonic-spectacular-270515Event: Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular

Artist: BBC National Orchestra

Compère: Peter Davidson

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 27.5.15

An excellent orchestral performance of classical scores and melodies from the Doctor Who timeline, with an emphasis on the music of Murray Gold.

The show was hosted by the 5th Doctor (Peter Davidson), and invaded by an array of aliens from different dimensions of time and space.

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New Dawn Fades: City Varieties, Leeds [15.5.15]

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x06a_New Dawn Fades [150515]Artist: All Roads Meet

Venue: City Varieties, Leeds

Date: 15.5.15

New Dawn Fades was a play rather than a gig but the cast did perform live versions of classic Joy Division tracks.

A brave and successful attempt to retell a sacred story that has already been expertly covered by Tony Wilson, Deborah Curtis, Michael Winterbottom and Anton Cobijn. The minimal cast and simple set design captured the promise and pain of the Manchester music scene’s finest.

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215. Elbow: Manchester Apollo [7.2.15]

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214a_elbow-070215Artist: Elbow

Support: Black Rivers

Venue: Manchester Apollo

Date: 7.2.15

Justifying their reputation as ‘the nicest band in the world’, Elbow chose to host a four-night residency of smaller hometown gigs at Manchester Apollo, rather than play a stadium or arena.

A perfect performance by the band, accompanied by the usual sing-along from the crowd.

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201. The Scandal: First Direct Arena, Leeds [22.6.13]

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200a_The Scandal [220613]Artist: The Scandal

Support: The Puppeteers

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 22.6.13

A public open day, to test the facilities at the brand new Leeds Arena; a long overdue addition to the city’s music venues.

First Direct Arena [Icon]

Upcoming bands; The Puppeteers and The Scandal had the privilege of being the first ever acts to play live at the prestigious new venue.

As the audience, it was our job to test the venue’s acoustics, toilets and fire exits.

Although I prefer smaller intimate venues for gigs, I would visit First Direct Arena more frequently, were prices for tickets, refreshments and merchandise not so ludicrously expensive! However, on the plus side, the venue does attract larger bands, who would otherwise not play the city.

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199. Peter Hook & The Light: Manchester Cathedral [18.1.13]

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198a_Peter Hook [180113]Artist: Peter Hook & The Light

Support: Modern Blonde

Venue: Manchester Cathedral

Date: 18.1.13

Movement / Power Corruption & Lies [Live]: A marvellous and moving live performance of the first two New Order albums, in a historic and prodigious Manchester venue.

Setlist: In a Lonely Place / Ceremony / Procession / Dreams Never End / Truth / Senses / Chosen Time / ICB / The Him / Doubts Even Here / Denial / Mesh / Cries & Whispers / Everything’s Gone Green / Age of Consent / We All Stand / 5-8-6 / Your Silent Face / Ultraviolence / Ecstasy / Leave Me Alone // The Beach (Interlude) // Hurt / Temptation / Blue Monday.

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The gig was released as a digital download by Play Concert.

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