Marmozets – Leeds Brudenell – 21/10/17
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind year for Marmozets (9). After a monster debut album, a wee break suddenly turned into a couple of years before making a cataclysmic return with the release of their first single ‘Play’, announcing their second album ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ and dropping not one, but two UK tours which sold out in quick succession of each other. We were lucky enough to find ourselves at the sold out Leeds show in the newly opened Brudenell Community Room and ready to witness whether Marmozets had learnt any new tricks since they last took the UK by storm (spoiler warning, they did.)
In the small and cramped Community Room, the minimal lights drop to darkness as Becca Macintyre’s voice echoes through the room, “PLAY PLAY PLAY” as the band launches themselves onstage, rattling through their return single much to the crowds delight, the Yorkshire bunch ripped straight into the upbeat carnage that is Move. Shake. Hide, proceeding to move and shake the room, which may have caused some to indeed hide.
As the set continued, the Bingley bunch thrilled the hometown crowd to multiple new songs, most notably Suffocate, containing heavy guitar riffs, a tight drum and bass pairing, driving the song with Macintyre to give her signature melodic snarl to the song. Followed up with an extremely theatrical performance of Captivate You and Particle had the room in the palm of their hands.
Lavishing the intimate room, crowd interaction was nothing short of a comforting familiarity in a room filled with old friends and very dedicated and loyal fans, a poignant moment during the set in which one fan had a quiet word with Macintyre, who then spoke supportive and loving words of wisdom, as well as a hug, with drummer Josh Macintyre quickly vaulting his kit to embrace and gift the fan sticks. Reaffirming of the organic nature of this band.
The band continued to roar through their set, with guitar Jack Bottomley throwing tasty licks and trills into songs, backed up by the rock solid bass and guitar lines provided by Will Bottomley and Sam Macintyre. As the band drew close to the end of their set, songs such as Born Young And Free, Hit The Wave and newest single, Habits gave the attendees a chance to dance, sing and stage dive. Standard really, especially when it’s the hometown show, got to be a bit special hasn’t it?
As the show closed out with breakthrough belter ‘Why Do You Hate Me?’, once again, displaying the incredible versatility and skills displayed in this band. Marmozets are back and simply put, they are not fucking about. They offer punk in a world of material pop. They offer quirk and a unique sound, perfectly described by a punter close by on the evening as ‘If Muse and Kate Bush had a one night stand with Sex Pistols as the background music’. With the new material played during the set, it’s safe to say 2018 already has a strong album of the year contender, as well as being able to produce a fantastic show just as a band. Marmozets are without a doubt going to be at the forefront of British alternative rock and we cannot wait.
Review: Adam Jones
