On a typically rainy night in Leeds, The Dirty Nil bring such joy to a packed out room, with their hits from new album ‘Free Reign To Passions’, and bangers from the past.
Before that though, Exit Child bring some excellent riot grrrl vibes that recall the most ferocious, visceral and intense parts of Jack Of Jill, and it is glorious to behold. They are definitely a band to keep an eye on as they progress and develop beyond their fantastic first single, ‘Dormant’ – I feel like I’ve just watched something really special.
Lowlives have been a strong favourite of mine for the longest time. Powerful, emotive tunes crafted by excellent musicians who have grafted for most of their…erm, lives in various bands to find themselves, and figure out a sound to make them happy, and not just legions of fans. Lowlives as a whole feels like it might be that for its members.
Here, the anthemic post-grunge of ‘Burn Forever’, meets the resounding stadium-ready pop-tinged sensibilities of ‘Hey You’ for a resounding result. Expect big things from these dudes, in all parts of the world over the coming months and years.
The Dirty Nil knows how to make people very happy. They are super tight as a unit on stage and are able to interact with a crowd better than most bands I have seen. The thing with this band is, for all the pomp, mega choruses, and showmanship, you get the vibe that they really, really give a shit about the people that support them. Through all the hits, from ‘Nicer Guy’ to ‘Doom Boy’ via ‘That’s What Heaven Feels Like’, The Nil never forgets the people that got them here, and that’s awesome. An incredible show, and a band that will be on many a bucket list as their global reputation grows.
This was a fantastic night, that made me fall in love with live music again.
Also, Long Live The Subculture…I mean, The Key Club. What a cracking venue.
