On Friday night I had the pleasure of an invitation to see Backyards, one of four bands playing that evening upstairs at the Library, a regular drinking hole of mine. I always thought I had a good knowledge of the best places to see music in Leeds, but recent additions to my favorite venues, including the Library and The Call Lane Social, proves I’m nothing but a novice.

The night was a mix of many genres from indie-pop, Reggae blues to Gypsy Jazz. As the audience goes, it was playful and highly interactive and the venue was small enough to feel pretty packed by the time the first band came on.

Belleville

Are a Gypsy Jazz quartet based in Yorkshire who play a mix of old gypsy tracks and a great selection of their own originals. The acoustic guitars, double bass, accordion smart shirts and ties of the band gave an almost jazz club edge, but with a distinctively different feel. There was an appreciative atmosphere, but with the bands lack of vocals, I found my self easily drifting to other things.
myspace.com/belleville

Melodicas New Reed

with an interesting amalgamation of reggae, blues, folk and rock Melodicas New Reed’s unique style got the crowd moving with its great rock riffs and remarkable and engaging lyrics. The six piece outfit, clearly unique on the Leeds music scene, are ones to see for a lively set with dancing and singing a must.
myspace.com/themelodicasnewreed

The Coopers

One the highlights of the night was the short but sweet set of happy folk pop band ‘The Coopers’. The unique formation of two Aussies, an Englishmen and a Greek, the band has gone from strength to strength. With shared female/male vocals, which seem very trendy at the moment, the music was fun and upbeat with everything from bells and keyboards to tambourines used in the pursuit of the cheerful tones. With one of their tracks, ‘Ripples’ getting picked for ‘The Inbetweeners’ they have had a great start, loved by BBC introducing and just about to release a new EP. A massive crowd pleaser who I am looking forward to reviewing in more detail this week.
myspace.com/thecoopersmusic
The Coopers – Ripples by The Coopers

BACKYARDS

Now we turn to the highlight of the evening, the experimental folk, electro, rock band (if that’s what we should call it) Backyards. Coming on criminally late, with a few early finishers finding the time to leave, the crowd packed to the front of the stage awaiting the last band of the evening. The band was originally started as a recording project by Matt and Bryan as a diversion, as they describe ‘from the mundanities of university and unemployment’. The latest additions to the line up, Reuben Upstone on bass, Caroline Lim on drums and Ben Styles on vocals and synth have been practicing and performing since September 2010, and for such a small amount of time to find themselves and their style, I found them remarkably established.

Musically, I immediately found myself comparing the band to a slimmed down Low-Fi Arcade Fire, with the violin and synth creating a ghostly atmospheric start to the gig. There is an echoing quality to the band’s music, and they have managed not to fall into the trap of understating their orchestral elements. The quality of the vocals is excellent, the lead coming from Ben and others from Byran and the rest of the band. I particularly liked some the more folky aspects of the set as well as the haunting electric guitar picks, subtle violin and synth build up. The tracks oozed different tones and emotions, from contented to a more angst filled anxious feel.

The Fairest way to describe the band is this, taken from the 360 club facebook –
‘Shimmering guitars, swooning violin, driving bass and massive drums interweave perfectly with thoughtful, hook-laden vocals. They’re lively and are guaranteed to have the crowd dancing whilst covered in goosebumps’.

With fair comparison being to Local Natives, Arcade Fire and lyrically Radiohead, the live show was intense, musically diverse and incredibly engaging. Go see this band.
myspace.com/backyardsmusic

Demos by Backyards