with Yeah Yeah Noh and The People Assembly
This event was organised by Magic Teapot
Reviewed by Kenny Cassells
Another Wednesday night, another gig to review. Although this one is set to be a bit special, Leicester legends of the past and Leicester legends in the making, gracing the same stage. Arriving at the Y Theatre bar, it’s clear to see that this is an important night and the excitement was palpable.
First band on were the fantastic The People Assembly, a local band with a big future ahead. The 6-piece band play a style of Noise Rock that draws on different genres from experimental and avant-garde to punk rock and industrial and were reminiscent to this reviewer of bands like Helmet, My Bloody Valentine and At the Drive In.
We arrived in front of the stage midway through their set opener Leicester City Council which was a powerful blistering way to open the night.
What is really striking about The People Assembly’s sound is the way the band interlink with each other to create a well-woven cacophony masquerading as organised chaos but is actually well-crafted songsmithship which belies their years.
Lead vocalist Joel Page knows how to capture an audience and hold their attention, he was also able to manipulate his voice to good effect using a vocal effects processor attached to his mic.
Stand out tracks on the night were Trojan Staffy, Hot/Hot and set closer Struts and Frets which featured innovative usage of Fisher Price instruments and busted guitars.
The People Assembly are a hard-working band so you will likely have the opportunity to see them live for yourself and I would highly recommend that you do.
Following the People Assembly were Leicester luminaries Yeah Yeah Noh, described as an ‘unpop’ group, the band formed in 1983 but split up in 1986 after releasing two albums and five singles. Only to reform 25 years later in 2011. The band’s appearance on the bill was a welcome inclusion and added to the buzz that was in the air.
Opening their set with Bias, the band played through a selection of their older songs and a few from 2015’s album Automatically Saturday which have retained their mid-80s charm, particularly tracks Temple of Convenience and Another Side to Mrs Quill both of which seemed to please the punter in front of us.
Derek Hammond’s voice is still as potent as it was all those years ago, a sort of mash-up between Morrisey and Ian Dury which blended well with the backing vocals amply provided by Sian Howarth.
Yeah Yeah Noh’s blend of groove-laden indie was well received and a nostalgic trip for many of the audience who had clearly been there during the band’s halcyon days of the mid ’80s.
Much focus was spent on the backstage debate regarding who made the best music to come out of Leicester, several names were mentioned but I was disappointed not to hear Engelbert Humperdinck being dropped into the mix.
Finally, it was time for the main act, Prolapse, who were back on stage in Leicester as part of their Pointless Gigs in Dismal Places tour.
The packed room was already jumping from the opening acts and it was to a great roar, reserved for the return of conquering heroes, that the band took to the stage.
I have to admit, not originally coming from Leicester I had never heard of Prolapse before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was instantly drawn in by their opening track Visa when I heard the unmistakable vocal style of Mick Derrick (a fellow Scot) singing in his broad Glaswegian accent. From my knowledge of the band, Mick was doing this long before Biffy Clyro, Franz Ferdinand and Paolo Nutini peddled their brand of Scottish vocal styling and made it popular within modern music.
The band had been successful during the ’90s releasing 4 albums and several EPs before their break up in 2000 and it was from this wealth of material that their set was drawn.
Their sound has a hypnotic, almost shoegaze quality to it with a dash of punk rock on top and is delivered in a wall of sound by 3 guitars, bass and drums and rounded off by the contrasting vocal styles of Linda Steelyard and Mick Derrick.
Whilst the infectious grooves ensure you can’t stop moving, the onstage interplay between Linda and Mick ensure your eyes are glued to the stage. Mick has an Alex Harvey-esque command of the stage and is always on the move whilst Linda seems to channel some sort of nervous anxiety, most likely due to constant torment by Mick, but this is clearly part of their onstage personas.
Each song had its own onstage choreography to it in an odd sort of spontaneous way and I was very impressed by the diversity of the tracks. Standouts for me were Pull Thru’ Barker which has a fantastically odd video that you can find online, Black Death Ambulance, Killing the Bland and my particular favourite Slash/Oblique which you can watch below.
Closing song Tina This Is Matthew Stone was given a full visual performance in the style of Paradise by the Dashboard Light, if the characters were a working-class couple from a council estate coming to the end of their relationship instead of two young lovers proclaiming their love for one another. An anti-love song which was a great way to end the night.
Having not previously been familiar with the band, I am pleased to have had the opportunity to see them live and feel the energy they put out in the live setting. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before they grace a stage in Leicester again and this reviewer will be there when they do, along with elated fans who got to see their heroes again and relive their youths.
This was definitely a night that was worth being at and it was good to see 3 three generations of the Leicester music scene on show. The city has a great history of producing fantastic and interesting bands and the future is looking bright too.
Prolapse performing Slash/Oblique at the gig:
Reviewed by Kenny Cassells
This event was organised by Magic Teapot
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