🎶 The Ticket Stub – Music in Leeds this December

December’s edition of Ticket Stub features writing and some TOP recommendations from I Like Trains frontman, David Martin. As the party season begins, there are some of the more interesting happenings…

GIG OF THE MONTH 

Moin! – Brudenell Social Club, December 2nd

Start your festive season the right way, with grinding post-hardcore riffs, swathes of feedback, disconcerting voice samples and enough low-end to rearrange your major organs. Joe Andrews and Tom Halstead of Raime fame are joined by Valentina Magaletti, who just happens to be one of the finest drummers of their generation. Very much my pick of the month after I saw them perform earlier this year in almost total darkness. In terms of volume and intensity, you’ll struggle to find anything that comes close.

Best of the Rest 

Leeds’ newest hip multi-purpose venue host dance royalty on December 1st. A little bit of research suggests it’s been 13 years since Leftfield performed in Leeds. This is the type of show you used to have to travel to Manchester for, so it’s great to see Project House fill that particular niche. Leftfield are touring 2022’s This Is What We Do album, which appears to be as squelchy and ravey as you’d hope. But if you ask them nicely, I reckon they’ll drop ‘Phat Planet’ for you.

 December 3rd sees something of an indie rock dilemma for all concerned. Tim Burgess has matured into a fully blown national treasure over the last few years – setting up his enormously popular album listening parties when artists couldn’t tour and campaigning against venues taking a cut on merchandise sales when artists could. So, it would be remiss of me not to plug his show with the mighty Charlatans at the O2 Academy. Who am I kidding? You already have tickets and the parka is at the dry cleaners.

 Your second option on December 3rd are John Peel favourites The Wedding Present at The Old Woollen in Farsley. I’m pretty sure they’ll be fed up with the ‘John Peel favourites’ tag by now, but this is journalistic shorthand for cultural significance, and I’m not about to break that particular mould on my very first (and possibly last) gig guide. I love the fact you can see the likes of The Weddoes, PiL and Mick Harvey at an old mill in a leafy town on the edge of Leeds. Long live The Old Woollen.

I have a pretty good history of missing out on a load of great bands because of their puerile names. I’ve done you and Crywank a favour by not listening to them, so you know there’s a pretty good chance they’re great. Check them out at The Brudenell on December 3rd.

Blonde Redhead had earned a little break. They’ve been moving things forward since the early 90s, shifting from noise rock, dream pop and big old shoegaze anthems. I think it’s fair to call them evergreen. They returned this year with Sit Down For Dinner, their first album in nine years. I imagine they’ll be serving it up at the Brudenell Social Club on December 9th.

Lankum have had quite a year with their album False Lankum which found its way onto the Mercury Music Prize shortlist. Their victory lap takes in The Irish Centre (appropriate) on December 10th. If I were a betting man, I’d say the album will be sitting at the top of all the end of year lists by the time this gig rolls around. 

Big Special are noisy and angry at all the right things. We all need a bit of that right now. Get your catharsis at Oporto on December 13th. 

My dad would play Handel’s Messiah first thing on Christmas morning at volumes that would make Moin proud. It’s become synonymous with enormous hangovers as I got older. Anyway, Handel brings his Christmas classic to Leeds’ oldest hip multi-purpose venue on December 20th. I’m pleased to get Handel and Crywank into the same feature. That’s just great SEO.

New Year’s Eve – December 31st, Brudenell Social Club. The great and the good of the Leeds music scene have a go at Stars In Their Eyes. If you know you know.