Lunch at Little Tokyo (check). Wristband (check). Tote bag (check). Pint of Virtuous (check). George Graham (yep… check). Must be time for another epic Live At Leeds In The City!

SAINT CLAIR

Kicking things off in Santiago’s were young London based band, Saint Clair. I saw these guys at Left Of The Dial festival in Rotterdam last month and they massively impressed. The room was absolutely rammed for a 2pm start as they stormed through their set. They have an awesome alternative rock sound with a gritty edge. Quite a 90s vibe especially which I certainly appreciated. I had a good chat with their awesome bassist Adam afterwards; absolutely sound lad from Consett in County Durham. Like me, he’s a big fan of Geordie lads, The Pale White.

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HONEYGLAZE

Moving on to Leeds Beckett Union, George and I took the unusual step of staying in the same venue for four in a row. Have to say we were pretty impressed by the acoustics in the venue and the upbeat vibe of the crowd.

First up were London indie rock trio, Honeyglaze, who were absolutely charming. Frontwoman Anoushka had a glorious vocal which oozed indie cool. The set had an emphasis on lush melodic guitar grooves and laidback rhythms. But the band could also get pretty impressively heavy too, which was demonstrated in their later tracks. Among their best tracks was one where they called out an additional musician on bass.

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RADIO FREE ALICE

Up next were my favourite discovery of the day, Radio Free Alice. This Australian four piece had plenty of energy and grit onstage. Brilliant frontman Noah sang with real conviction and passion. Paris Is Gone was a particular highlight. The lead guitarist really slammed out some impressively raw post-punk guitar. The rhythm section was epic too: ferociously heavy bass and frenetic, clattering motorik drumming. These lads definitely evoked the sounds of Joy Division and the Cure. They really got the crowds moving.

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KEO

London boys, Keo, were also a popular choice of the day. These lads have really exploded over the past year with fellow young bands, including Geordie bands Idle Hands and Central Arcade, really talking them up as ones to watch. And you can tell why. Their grungy rock vibe taking in elements of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Jeff Buckley was massively appealing. Frontman Finn had all the rockstar poses as he smashed it on guitar. Impressive drummer too pounding out some heavy, tasty rhythms, like a modern day Grohl. Loved their alluring cover of apocalyptic The Doors classic This Is The End.

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KATY J PEARSON

Awesome to finally see indie pop songstress Katy J Pearson who George has long championed. She was absolutely radiant on stage. She certainly came across as extremely warm hearted and gracious, while presenting an edgy cool in the delivery of each track. Her beautifully quirky vocal style has been compared favourably to the legendary Kate Bush. High praise indeed, and thoroughly well deserved. A particularly unique approach that she took was to use a hybrid acoustic/electric guitar on many of her tracks which sounded glorious. Kind of an Americana sound in places. Her band were superb too.

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FUZZ LIGHTYEAR

Moving on to Belgrave Music Hall, local Leeds lads Fuzz Lightyear absolutely crushed it with their violently heavy rock sounds. They’ve really ramped up the fuzz since their beginnings and won a growing fan base. Frontman Ben was totally mesmerising in his vocal delivery; spitting out lyrics with real grit. Varun on bass and Josh on drums ensured a face melting onslaught from the rhythm section. Alex on guitar and synths added some tasty licks. The crowds jostled along to their songs; had they packed the venue like in Rotterdam, there would have been a riotous circle pit! A set that was definitely not for the faint hearted, but I love them!

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MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW

Final band of the day for us was the intriguingly named, Man/Woman/Chainsaw who packed on to the small stage at Wardrobe. They mixed upbeat pop melodies with a heavy alternative edge incorporating violin. An impressive set from a band that sound much more chirpy than their name would suggest.

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