The Beat Surrender

The Breeders are a legendary band with a legendary past thanks to The Pixies connection, but they’ve never really had the greatest work ethic, having been together now for more than fifteen years, they’ve still just only released their fourth album, Mountain Battles.

Due to the bands status and the fact I loved Pod and Last Splash (not heard the last two I’m afraid as I’m something of a lapsed fan), I was keen to see them live while I still could, you never know with the sisters Deal if they will suddenly pull the plug or change tact onto a side project.

My main reason though for going to the gig tonight wasn’t The Breeders, it was actually support act Jim Noir. I loved his debut album Tower Of Love and unfortunately didn’t get chance to see him live around that album, so when I was offered the chance tonight I jumped at it.

He’s back now in support of his self titled follow up album and when he wanders onstage with his band he’s clearly a little nervous, yet obviously delighted to have got this support slot for the set of dates.

Despite it not being the first night of the tour, he actually starts off a little nervous in front of the 100 or so hardy souls that have made it in before 8pm. Eanie Meanie is probably his most well known song and his vocals start off a little shaky, at this point I wonder how he’s going to transfer his sound from on record to the live arena. He does settle down after a minute or so though and the song finishes in fine style and to a polite ripple of applause.

He actually makes a refreshing change for a Manc musician, he’s not cocky and in your face, in fact physically he looks like the character out of Horace Goes Skiing if you can remember the old computer game, he’s tall, wiry has a huge bobble hat on and a jumper that looks like it was knitted by his Gran. His onstage personality is very unassuming, he does have banter with the crowd, with a lot of the comments quite tongue in cheek about himself and the music.

Set wise he plays material in the main from his old album, with a few new ones thrown in, I still love My Patch, with it’s upbeat, bouncy feel of the music being offset by the threatening, territorial lyrics and the new single What U Gonna Do is similarly good. By the end of his set the crowd has filled out more and I’m pleased that he had a half decent crowd to see him, I wasn’t sure how he’d go down with the crowd, but at the end of the day good music is good music and I think the crowd appreciate his efforts.

After the six hundred different guitars The Breeders use are all set up and ready to go at the end of a short break, it’s lights down and on with the headline act. I’ve never seen them live so I’m genuinely pleased to be seeing them, likewise a large number of people in Leeds as the venue isn’t sold out but it is pretty damn full. Unlike James who I’d seen the night before who are also of a similar age band wise, they don’t get bogged down in the new album too much, so in and amongst new tracks (that I have to say sound surprisingly good), you get the old favourites that people want to hear.

This point is particularly enforced when Kim declares that they aren’t going to do the slow, long new song next as per the set-list because she thinks the crowd will be bored, her sister disagrees and after a brief off-microphone bicker Kim gets her way. Both sisters share the limelight to a degree with Kelley taking on some of the vocals as well as backing her sisters vocals.

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