Eagulls / Fehm, Brudenell Social Club, 13 May 2016

Arriving at the Brudenell Social Club is like walking into an indie kids Byker Grove. With more people outside than inside between acts, a gig here always feels like a ‘proper’ event; there’s always bustle, the floor is packed and the atmosphere is usually brilliant.

Taking to the stage, FEHM look electric - the frontman/guitarist and bassist are the focal points, peroxide blonde magnets leading the way. Joined by the drummer, their music shifts and shapes with every song – it’s dark, it’s gothic, it’s post punk, it’s brooding, it’s epic, it’s urgent, it’s bloody marvellous. The bass lines are a thundering powerhouse, the heartbeat of every song, as they twist and turn through the set. The frontman owns the stage, and possibly the night, simultaneously sparking guitar riffs whilst howling through the songs. It’s a rare gem of a set and for me, a show-stealing performance of the night. Proudly clutching their C90 tape on the way out, they deserve to be huge.

The Eagulls follow up album “Ullages” is hotly anticipated, and launched at tonight’s gig. To start proceedings, Metropolis plays on a massive screen behind the band; a beautiful synergy of a dystopian society, and the evolving sound of the band borne of this. After kicking off with ‘Lemontrees’, tracks from the new album stand out as sonic soundscapes, at times as isolating as the black and white film playing behind them, but with a fantastic layering of sound and lyrics that weaves through the night. Tracks from their debut album are also interspersed, and brings about relentless stage-diving from the crowd at the front, it's great to see music matter.

All in all, a fantastic night at Leeds, with new music very much in fine form. Top marks.