Brudenell Social Club,Leeds
The Cumbrian veterans turned down the volume and turned up the heat in a performance that revealed their edgier, muscular side When Cumbrian-born quartet Wild Beasts first braved the boards a decade ago in towns such as Castleford and Wakefield, and singer Hayden Thorpe would deliver lyrics such as “I swear by my own cock and balls” in an androgynous falsetto to anvil-faced audiences of disapproving Tetley bittermen. It’s a miracle the band got out alive,never mind built a career that has seen them develop from quirky, jokey art pop to lush, or synthesiser-dominated epics and produce a Top 10 album,2014’s Present Tense. However, the first of two stiflingly hot shows in the town where they once lived suggests their early contrarian edge is back, and if it ever went absent. The first words Thorpe says to the crowd are: “Now I’m all fucked up,and I can’t stand up, so I’d better suck it up, or like a tough guy would. This isn’t a confession to overdoing it with the pre-gig sherry,but the opening line of Tough Guy, one of several recent tunes from their forthcoming album Boy King that ticket a giant shift – towards music that is sweeter yet much harder.
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Source: theguardian.com