The Mic took a trip to Leeds as Roxann Yus reviews Boston Manor's take on Stylus.
After some fans have been gripping tightly onto their Boston Manor tickets for two years now, the Blackpool-based band were eagerly greeted by fans new and old at Stylus in Leeds University. Having played some of their first ever shows in Leeds, lead-singer Henry Cox compares the atmosphere to that of a home-show, something of which they have never actually done in Blackpool! Henry goes on to say that neighbouring Leeds venue, the Key Club, is probably their most-played venue in the UK, displaying both their sentimental feelings towards the city, as well as their growth as a band to now perform at a 1000-capacity venue, hopefully one that will hold the same sentiment as the Key Club one day.
Opening the night were Jools, with a spectrum that spans from punk to poetry. They rightly recognise themselves as one of the best-dressed bands in scene, especially when making their stylish entrance. Their subtle glam rock aesthetic contrasted to their fierce musical activism in the most surprising way. One thing that was on everybody’s mind whilst Jools opened the stage, despite the driven and attention-grabbing presence of the band and lead-singer, was the energetic woman at the back of the stage supporting them and singing the lyrics. We later discover her name is Kate Price; the creative genius behind the powerful messages of the band and punk-rock’s biggest fan. Kate joins them to sing the unreleased song 99% that deals with the topic of sexual harassment and invites us all to be unapologetically aware of society’s largest problems in a way that everybody in the audience can understand.
After a short half an hour break to digest the refreshing flavours of honesty and recognition in musical form, Californian quartet Movements, fan favourites and best friends of Boston Manor, evolve the night to evoke feelings of nostalgia and freedom. They turned up the volume in the name of pop-punk; urging us all to Feel Something, as the album is aptly named, when popular tracks such as Daylily, Full Circle, and Colourblind hit our ears.
''When Boston Manor graced the stage, the crowd were already jumping and moshing without a hit of a drum yet''
With an unmatched energy in the room from a combination of emotional presence and adrenaline, Boston Manor’s perfectly chosen support bands paved the way for them to take on Stylus for the first time. When Boston Manor graced the stage, the crowd were already jumping and moshing without a hit of a drum yet. They flirted with a mix of their new EP Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures, and albums Glue and Welcome to the Neighbourhood (WTTN) in the first three songs to balance the energy of (relatively) old fans, and new ones. Due to such passion in the room by the second song Flowers in your Dustbin, I had already been kicked hard (by respectable and predicted Doc Martens) in the head by a wave of crowd surfers. But what sort of punk-rock fan would I be to sensibly watch from the side-lines after withstanding a very painful kick in the face? As they say, the show must go on - and I think this is most appropriately applied to scene kids.
The performance continued to deliver high energy in the audience, coming to a climax with You, Me & the Class War, whereby Henry invites us all to split the entire room in half and run towards each other in the break down at the beginning of the song. After the chaos that ensued in one of Boston Manor’s heaviest songs, the gig takes a turn for the romantics out there. One of my favourite songs of all time, Let The Right One In, was serenaded to us all, but in the moment it felt like only me as I was on my boyfriend’s shoulders screaming the lyrics back at him. With a full heart and smile that hurt my cheeks, the boys dived back into some Boston Manor classics, namely Laika from their debut album Be Nothing, and Halo from WTTN.
Ending on such a high only attracted everybody to the merch stands. Who wouldn’t want band merch after a night that stellar? And equally, it takes a strong-minded person to willingly leave their happy place straight away. That is precisely the space Boston Manor makes for fans: a happy place, somewhere that ignores reality for a few short hours and embraces true freedom. However, there was a downfall to this gig: there was nobody in the crowd this time holding up the game Halo 4 as Henry screamed “I can see your halo fall”. Rookie mistake Leeds, we can do better than that! Or were we all saving that for when they play an inevitably larger venue on their next tour?
Roxann Yus
Edited by: Amrit Virdi
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