Live At Leeds
Various venues, Leeds
29/04/2011 – 01/05/2011

Either The Fly’s legs are getting older or Live At Leeds is getting bigger each year. The mere thought of trekking around these expansive musical environs again has us wheezing like the bloated, notepad-clutching scabs that – oh – we in fact are.

We do our best though, and if 2011’s line-up rather reflects the city’s incessant love of all things slightly grungey and 90s influenced then there are still occasional gems to be picked out from amongst the denim shorts, long hair and scuzz. We stumble into one right away, as Halifax four-piece Wot Gorilla? slice and weave their way through half an hour of emo-tinged math rock like Tubelord with more crunch if you will. They’re jolly impressive, and put everyone in the Cockpit in a good early afternoon mood before Kong come and ruin it all by scaring the 16 year olds down the front witless with their lurching, masked frames and unhinged, droning noise. Not that we’re complaining further back.

To Heart-Ships next in the thimble-like upstairs of Milos; there’s something of an innocence in the male six-piece’s collective chanting and swooning, and in ‘Heart Of A Wrestler’ they possess a stirring tune of real resonance. We stick around but aren’t impressed by either 80s synth clones Lovebites or clunky, unformed post-rock Laboratory Noise and arriving at Nation Of Shopkeepers it’s hard to hear never mind see much-hyped three-piece Films. The crowd’s incessant chatter is nothing compared to that which greets man of the moment James Blake at the O2 Academy, however. For a man whose soulful tenor is supposedly keeping the country hooked no one really seems to give a toss that he’s slouched on stage with his band, and in return Blake doesn’t really offer much to suggest he’s going to try and change that, his silky voice dripping sleepily across us. ‘Limit To Your Love’ briefly rouses the one-track-fan mob but in truth, a 5pm show at a 2000 capacity venue was never going to work.

Then come Stalking Horse onstage at the cavernous Leeds Met. Something of a Leeds super group if you adored Brudenell bands circa 2006-2008, they’re essentially the project of Wu, former singer for doom-laden post-punk types This Et Al. Their “super” status though is ensured with the appearance of former Grammatics frontman Owen Brinley on guitar. Although the music doesn’t quite hit the levels that combination suggests, there’s promise aplenty – a calmer, more electronic take on the previous formula. Up the stairs to Mazes who suffer from a crippling lack of volume in the Leeds Met back room – something that also afflicts Let’s Wrestle – so it’s back downstairs to witness Twilight Sad thunder through a monolithic forty five minute set punctuated with some rather predictable Royal Wedding gags from frontman James Graham. Nice one Jim.

There’s just Dutch Uncles left to face the quiet Met Backroom, and despite ongoing sound restrictions the Manchester four-piece manage to end our day on a positive note, opening with the Cardiacs-esque ‘Dressage’, lead singer Duncan’s silly dance moves surely set to capture the nation’s heart, and though he still seems to suffer from a lack of confidence – genuine surprise crossing his face when the audience recognises ‘Cadenza’. Their jagged math-pop is a downright rad end to a somewhat hit and miss day. Perhaps this is always the way at these festivals, how about going easy on the rugged grunge next time, eh Leeds?

Simon Jay Catling