The Beat Surrender

Unlike Leeds, the music scene in Bradford has had a hard life for such a large and multi cultural city. This is until of late, when a number of small clubs and venues, such as the Love Apple and Beehive started to offer something a bit more to it’s residents than the run of the mill clubs and shady wine bars.

Even St George’s Hall has been a bit more diverse in what acts it’s been booking of late, by trying to appeal to the music lovers and youth culture, when at one time their idea of a leftfield act would have been the once mighty Billy Ocean Colour Scene. Although I’m sure my fellow colleague The Manager will argue that Motorhead have played there a number of times over the years, but the idea of standing in a room with a load of cider drinking 40 something moshers just sounds like hell to me. Sorry mate, I’m sure you’ll pick me up on this point.

So someone comes up with idea of Bradford Music Week, in which a number of bands local and big timers, will cram into a number of venues across the city during the week of May. Unfortunately, I’m now 29 and have to do grown up things, like gardening, decorating and general Dad things, so sadly, I can only attend the Lightspeed Champion gig, which I know again is a poor excuse, but it’s the only one I’ve got.

A crafty one in the Queens see’s us miss most of the set by support act Le Tournoi, but we manage to pull our ass’s away from the bar to catch a large amount of Spodni Pradlo. I don’t know the first thing about this band or any of their song titles, but you can tell by the growing crowd that their youthful enthusiasm and no rules performance is well worth the admission price alone tonight.

Another cheeky pint and a couple of Lamberts see’s me miss the entrance of Dev Haynes and his band, but I’m quickly into my position before they start Galaxy Of The Lost, which is played out over an old school piano, but you wouldn’t have thought so with the great sound you get in this old building.

We’re then onto Tell Me What It’s Worth, which sounds great other than the backing vocals for the lassie on drums which need turning up to compare with the level on the album, but still mustn’t grumble. We’re then introduced to some new material, of which, we’re either not told the track name or my memory being like shit, I’ve managed to forget. Anyway, it’s all good, the new stuff sounds that the temp has increased a bit from the debut album.

Dry Lips continues the momentum and the place is filling up nicely, I’m tapping my size seven’s on a regular beat and trying to keep in rhythm. But this is where things start to go a bit off the wall, as the band break into a bit of Wagner before playing the main theme to Star Wars, I let out a large guffaw in a Chewbacca moment, my mate thinks I’ve lost the plot.

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