Tag: Craig Finn

Leeds Venues 12 and 13

The University of Leeds has a long history traversing all the way back to 1874. It was once part of the combined federal Victoria University which subsequently splintered into the universities in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. It is also the 5th largest establishment in the UK with over 36k students and the previous distinguished alumni include Keir Starmer, Jack Straw, Mark Knopfler, Corinne Bailey Rae, Little Boots and six other Noble laureates.  

At the 2014 Live at Leeds event, Leeds University Stylus was our final venue visited and was always designed to be the culmination of the evening as one of my all-time favourite bands Hold Steady were on stage. The Stylus is the 1000 capacity venue buried in the heart of the campus. In 2011 they installed a L’Acoustics KARA Sound System (apparently the only system of its kind in the UK) and have followed that up with regular gig and club nights.

Bars at either side surrounded the lower pit and dance floor in front of the stage and the set up was not wholly unreminiscent of the old Preston 53 Degrees Main Hall venue. Hold Steady came on about 10.30pm and opened with ‘Stuck Between Stations’, they were in good form as ever though arguably Craig Finn was perhaps a tad more wired than normal. ‘Your Little Hoodrat Friend’ was outstanding and they finished with aplomb with ‘ Massive Nights’ and ‘Stay Positive’. 

The Hold Steady on stage. Image Credit Grantland.

It was Gill’s first sighting of Hold Steady and she was fascinated by the devotion of the crowd towards the band, generated in my view by their evangelical interactive performances and the fact that Craig is a modern-day poet.

There was a further venue called the Refectory in the establishment where Albert Hammond Jr was still playing, but we had been on our feet for eight hours already, so we vetoed that one. There was an epic taxi queue outside, but we eventually made it back our digs in the outskirts of town.

We decide to make a return visit to Live at Leeds in 2021, delayed to October that year due to Covid, and there were still restrictions in place that made a multi gig event more challenging than it normally would be.

It was a chaotic start to the day as Northern trains excelled themselves again by cancelling our initial train to Piccadilly necessitating a No 50 bus ride and a walk across town. Refuelled by a healthy snack at the Pasty Shop we then boarded train to Leeds.

We found our hotel and then headed to the ticket exchange point at Leeds City College at Quarry Hill. So, finally wristband and clash finder had been obtained and a quick review of the listings revealed where we would go first to watch some music.

I wanted to grab the opportunity to visit some of the more outer based venues, so we headed up the A660 (Woodhouse Lane) beyond the universities to the edge of Hyde Park where we found the Leeds Lending Room @ The Library.    

The Grade 1 listed building is an impressive structure and has in a previous life been a fire station before its present guise as a library where the 200-capacity upstairs room was opened up as a music venue in 2009. Alt-J and Allusondrugs amongst others have graced the stage there.    

It was an intimate venue room and I liked it and on our visit The Blondes were playing. The band are a five-piece who got together at college and became housemates in London during the pandemic.

The Blondes. Image Credit pcnmagazine.uk

Despite the Covid restrictions they gained some traction and acclaim via their single ‘Coming of Age’ going viral on Tik-Tok resulting in two million streams. In the live setting they produced a likeable slab of indie pop.  

Manchester Venue 5 – Academy 2 (Part 2)

Many of the pre-gig drinks meets for this venue were located in Jabez Clegg situated on the other side of Oxford Road however that pub closed around 10 years ago. It was swiftly replaced by the nearby Big Hands which is a slightly grubby, fabulously noisy venue with a fine jukebox where there is a tradition to play ‘Hells Bells’ prior to departing to the gig.

In 1995, Buffalo Tom hit town and I do find their soothing Americana is like putting an old pair of slippers on. A great live act.

The following year, we encountered a band who I thought were the best live band on the circuit at that point in time, namely Rocket From the Crypt. The first sight of them was then they roared onto stage and their effervescent lead singer Speedo uttered the bracing opening phrase ‘This is Motherfuckers God’s music’. They then lived up to that claim by producing a thunderous set. I saw them twice there that year and the second had about 10 of us in attendance.

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Rocket from the Crypt live on stage. Image Credit mrteeth.reviews.com

This high was followed by a crushing disappointment when we went to see Screaming Trees. The main reason was the fact that lead singer Mark Lanegan had a damaged throat and only completed 4 songs before stomping off. The gig should have been cancelled and I recall Paul Bruzzese being understandingly vocal in his consternation. What made it worse was it was my one and only chance to witness them. I still treasure their ‘Dust’ album.

Screaming Trees ‘Dust’ Album cover. Image Credit norman.records.com

I have seen Billy Bragg there twice, one of those a couple of weeks ago when he played selected songs from his first three albums. I have also seen Wannadies, 3 Colours Red, And They Shall Know us by the Trail of the Dead, Mark Lanegan, Nine Black Alps, Ash and Yo La Tengo.

Mercury Rev in 1999 was an outstanding gig where their swirling sound was unique. When they left the stage the lights didn’t come in and there was no piped music for 10 minutes, despite that half the audience left leaving us stalwarts to enjoy an intimate encore. I saw them there again 9 years later.

I saw Bob Mould there twice and also captured Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Children of Bodom, And So I Watch From Afar, Dinosaur Jr and most recently Pup, a Canadian punk band.

Also, in 1999 Death in Vegas played and they had the noisiest bass I have ever encountered. I recall we were leaning on the side walls and they were literally vibrating! I saw them again 3 years later. Teenage Fanclub were also really enjoyable. I also have tickets for DIIV there next year. 

Now I have found that as I have got older, that it takes a lot more to impress me until Hold Steady stopped me in my tracks. The first gig in February 2007 was bloody brilliant as their intelligent sing along evangelical performance was utterly life affirming. Their subsequent performances in 2010 and 2014 were equally as impressive. Lead singer Craig Finn is a modern day bard and I like them a lot.