The Chapman Family

• Posted: Sun 18 Sep 2011
• By: Kev

Plenty of debate has taken place within the Leeds music scene as to the need for a new venue of this capacity in the city, but for my money it's a welcome addition that is now starting to find it's feet quite nicely.

As I make my way down from the upstairs bar to the well set out gig venue below, it's apparant i've just missed Escort Knights which is a shame as it's at least a year since i've seen them.

Main support Secret Sirens are setting up onstage and while they don't seem the obvious choice of support band for The Chapman Family, they always deliver a sleek and polished electro-pop set and tonight is no exception.

The Chapman Family have taken on an additional member since their Northern Monkey gig last December and it definitely gives them a new dimension, freeing frontman Kingsley Champan up for a more intense performance, with added keyboards a real bonus.

The recent debut album is still very much in mind set wise, with the album tracks sitting just as comfortably alongside the singles. They have real depth to their songs, they build up the tension in the guitar and bass, the drums are a constant bombast in the choruses and the edgy vocal is punchy where it needs to be, but also has a gentle romanticism to it on a song like Million Dollars.

As you would expect if you've seen The Chapman Family live, they don't consider the stage a boundary point at all, to them anywhere in the venue is fair game and it means towards the end of the set we are treated to the sight of band and audience almost becoming one in a frenzied close to proceedings.

So another Chapman Family gig and another great performance, it still baffles me that a band that can entertain like this, have a bunch of brilliant songs that are more than just the music - they are probably the finest commentators on social unrest we have in the music industry - are not far more successful in terms of the bands following...but that's fine, we'll keep them in our little exclusive club for a while longer this way.