This is the kind of show that reminds me why I started going to gigs in the first place. Forget the fancy light shows or AI-generated graphics behind the band, tonight we just had some good artists playing some good music with a good audience. And I witnessed a miracle for the post-COVID concert scene: everybody's phones remained firmly in pocket or purse save for the quick flash of a picture or quick clip of a video before being stuffed away.
My god, I almost forgot how good it was to see live music without dozens of phones in the way.
This was my first time seeing the opening band, Neckbreakers . I'm awful at pinpointing a genre but I'd say it's a vintage sort of indie pop, high-energy and soulful. Every single performer could be easily the most talented member of any other band so the fact they're all on stage together is a treat. My favorite song of the set was 'Tough Love' but I've got to give an honorable mention to 'Waiting On Your Call'. If you were at the gig and heard a shocked, "Damn!" when the singer's sustained note ran into that absolutely slick guitar riff, then that was me realizing I was probably seeing the next big thing in UK indie pop.
They only have a few songs out for streaming, but every one is worth a listen.
Then after dessert we get to the main course: Vienna Vienna . I've been a fan for a long time and I can't tell you how excited I was to see Glimmer Pop make it's way across the ocean. The crowd was immediately switched on, jumping and singing and the band filled the space so well that you forget there's only two people on stage. These are a couple of people who clearly love performing and the frontman seemed to have just as much fun interacting with the crowd as he did playing. The crowd was pulled from bouncy, energetic tunes like 'Sex, Drugs, Whatever' to the melancholy 'One More Last Time' and then back up to 'Vienna (Everything's Fine)' without losing any momentum. We laughed, we jumped, we held our partners and gently swayed. Hopefully we all bought some merch (support your small and local acts, folks). The entire set was pure joy, I'll be honest it could have gone on for another hour and I don't think I would have minded.
If you've never heard Vienna Vienna before, I recommend starting with the upbeat 'Vienna (Everything's Fine)', 'Make a Man Out of You', and 'Idle Hands'. Then cool down with 'One More Last Time', 'Company Hunting', and 'Beauty Queen'.
Here's hoping Vienna Vienna and Neckbreakers will be returning to Leeds soon. These are definitely two bands to watch and well worth a ticket.
