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| Sam McTrusty - Vocals & Guitar Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 24/10/2015 |
I know. I know that when the wind of change blows some
people build walls and others windmills. I now that change is remarkably
inevitable and I know that change is supposed to come bearing gifts. But,
change is exhausting.
My use of pretentious quotes might be ridiculous but my
disdain for change is quite legitimate. I can’t be the only person to feel that
change makes everything peculiar. Unsettling. How many times have you felt that
you were getting on okay, and then that prat ‘Change’ rocks up and mugs you?
Frankly, it’s a wonder Change hasn’t served time, the common petty criminal.
But much like that distinctly irritating wife from Breaking
Bad, some people find that they want to try and live with the criminal. That’s
the position I found myself in when I did something not nearly as iconic as my
writing would suggest.
We road tripped to see Twin Atlantic again.
Now before anyone starts yelling at me, claiming I’m using
long words and dramatic structure to legitimise the fact that I am a pathetic
fan girl beyond help…I do have a point and I’ll get to it. If you weren’t going
to claim that, and the thought never even entered your mind, then you really
ought to be more observant because that is exactly what I’m doing.
Ever since Reading Festival I’ve been dying to see Twin
Atlantic again. I spent a whole night in a strop because I couldn’t make it to
their Perth show in September. Lost a whole other week when I found out the
sneaky bastards were playing the Budweiser Live Tour and I couldn’t make it to
that either. It’s not a feeling I’ve ever been fond of, missing out. Now I’m
expected to adult all the damn time, it’s a feeling I get more often than I’m
used to. Growing up is easily the most tedious of Change’s roles.
But just when Change and I were about to get into some
serious hair-pulling fisticuffs, I fell down a flight of stairs at a train
station. I busted my ankle up pretty bad and there were two girls (they hadn’t yet
seen Change play that tedious role of his) who thought it was the funniest
thing they had ever seen. At best, it was mildly amusing.
So I’m at home, curled up in a blanket fort, trying to convince
my cat that he could TOTALLY cook Chicken Noodle Soup, when I got a Twitter
notification. Twin Atlantic were playing a 400 capacity venue, on a Saturday,
within 200 miles, for £5 a ticket.
Yes, I do have Twitter set up to notify me when Twin
Atlantic do anything. Shut up.
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| I am just the best |
Naturally, I bought two tickets and then I text my regular
road trip buddy to tell her that we were
going to Leeds. I’ll never know if she
actually wanted to go or if she realised pretty quickly that she never had a
choice. Either way she was on board!
It's been along time since I was last in Leeds, for Slam Dunk in
something like 2009. I went all the way up there by myself and met up with a
girl who wasn’t exactly a friend. Don’t get me wrong, she was a really lovely
person, incredibly beautiful and over the top in style, but I didn’t really
know her. I’m not even sure why I was going to Slam Dunk, who was I going to
see? In any event, six years later and I’m in my little VW driving back up
North with a girl that I talk to about 5 times a day, to see a band that I
adore. Alright I admit it; Change can be funny at times.
Leeds is just over 200 miles away from where I live. 9
months ago that would have seemed like we were travelling to the moon and back
but since the last real road trip we took was to freaking Glasgow, 200 miles
flew by. A change in perspective can be quite useful, new experiences can be
terrifying but once you’ve already tackled it (and then some) it’s all just old
news.
Then it was time for the show (700 words later, isn’t it
funny how I still insist this is a music blog?)
After a brief emotional moment in the hotel (along with
several hundred other things Change has also taken 2 stone away from me
recently, it’s nice) we finally jumped in a cab and headed over to the
Brudenell Social Club.
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| Ross McNae - Bass Brudenell Social Club - Leeds 24/10/2015 |
As ever, a word about the venue. Brudenell is easily the
most ridiculous venue I have ever had the sheer pleasure of visiting. As the
name would suggest, it’s in a residential area with a Sainsbury’s local up the
road, and not much else. The inside is as basic as the outside and that is
precisely what I loved about it. Big fancy pants venues or festivals are magnificent.
But for me there is nothing better than a small venue, with a great view of the
stage wherever you stand (integral for a 5ft nothing girl) and a good bar, even
if the bar staff claim my friend is ‘sassy’. That’s okay. She is a bit sassy,
that’s why she’s fantastic.
Twin Atlantic casually strolled onto the stage, grabbed
their instruments, took a second to look around them, and then exploded into
one of the most abrasive and perfectly important Twin Atlantic songs of all
time, Edit Me. This song aggressively
throws forward the message that if you know it’s not right, then it’s not right
and you can’t listen to it. They can’t edit you. Yeah. Suck it Change!
Next up was Fall Into
The Party, the video for which was filmed at the first Twin Atlantic show I
ever went to. We had no idea that show would be half as good, as iconic, as it
was and the energy and impact of this ‘hip-hop’ track played a huge part in
that. We were primarily there that night to interview another band and to see
Scotland for the first time. But then all at once I fell head over heels for a
band and had a hell of a lot to catch up on. Change works quickly, but I guess its
work can be quite wonderful.
At this early stage in the show (though shamefully an overly
late stage in this ‘review’) it became apparent that there are some things that
Change just can’t get to. When I get the chance to see an incredible
performance, I lose my mind completely. We were lucky enough to meet Twin
Atlantic before the show, and I was gutted because I didn’t ask them (or throw
all my toys out of the pram and FORCE THEM) to play The Ghost of Eddie. So when they went ahead and played it anyway, I
lost my shit. Please see video footage for proof.
It’s hilariously embarrassing, but when you're at a show like
this, Change demands a ticket. Change works alongside adrenaline, passion and
alcohol to help you let go of everything you left at the door and focus on the
one thing that you actually, really, care about.
What I’m trying to say is that The Ghost of Eddie was a highlight, but outside of that it’s so
difficult to pick out which tracks were important enough to talk about. It was
great to hear What is Light? Where is
Laughter? from the 2009 album Vivarium,
Crash Land was as magical as ever (and all the verses were in the right
order this time) follow that with Yes I
Was Drunk and the tears were inevitable.
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| Barry McKenna - Guitar (and the Cello obviously) Brudenell Social Club - Leeds 24/10/2015 |
The second reason I love Twin Atlantic so much, has nothing
to do with them at all. Leaving the venue after the first time I saw them, the
crowd continued the show by blaring out the words to Heart and Soul in a perfect, giant, karaoke. The second time, at
Reading, a girl I had never met before used her phone to light up the floor so
that I could change the batteries in my camera. Here in Leeds we met two girls
who helped us get to the venue, another girl complimented my hair, and two
other girls said that I was a great person.
Clearly, Twin Atlantic fans are wonderful human beings. But
surely it’s a little minute to suggest that only gratifyingly beautiful people
listen to Twin Atlantic. Wouldn’t it be more wonderful to suggest that Change
has spent some time in this scene. It’s worked alongside music and venues and
fans and led us all to a time where we are revolutionarily nice to each other.
I love Change for that.
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| Sam McTrusty - Vocals & Guitar Brudenell Social Club - Leeds 24/10/2015 |
But honestly, HONESTLY, this set was flawless. Bring on the
days when Twin Atlantic can do a whole tour playing Free and The Great Divide in
their entire, full blow, abrasive, glory. I wait with baited breathe for the
next Twin Atlantic album, which they are in the studio recording right now. Apparently
it’s completely different to everything they’ve done before, so I guess Change
got to those guys too.
If Twin are embracing change then maybe I should to. I guess
my disdain for change is a little unfounded, though not completely so I’m sure.
It’s a bitch, let’s face it. But maybe without change there would be no
butterflies.
Or maybe I should just admit that I’m obsessed with Twin
Atlantic, quit trying to make that sound like some sort of life lesson and go
and get some work done. I’ll post a real life, professional music review in a
fortnight.
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| Me! Ver: Drunk & Emotional Brudenell Social Club - Leeds 24/10/2015 |
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| Twin Atlantic meet Jules and Hayley Leeds 24/10/2015 |
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