Photo Credit: Em Artherton
Earlestown’s THE K’S have been grabbing 2024 by the scruff of the neck early on in the year, ever since their first album ‘I Wonder If the World Knows?‘ peaked at #3 in the UK album charts. With an exciting summer still ahead of them, the band has been touring nonstop in promotion of the record, with a sold out performance in Leeds amongst the dates.
Birmingham based quartet THE CLAUSE have also been on a journey of their own recently. After their first EP ‘Pop Culture‘, gained them a devoted following across the UK indie scene enthusiasts, they are slated to release their second EP ‘Weekend Millionaire‘ this summer, and making their support slot on this tour a perfect warm-up for what 2024 is about to bring. As the quintet made their way onto the stage, ‘Morning Glory‘ by Oasis was blasting from the speakers, getting the crowd excited for the impending performance and whilst everyone sang along.
Kicking off their set with ‘Time of Our Lives‘, the audience was up and dancing right away. The band was introduced by guitarist/vocalist Pearce Macca, and then the Yorkshire chanting started as soon as it was mentioned they are from Birmingham. With tracks like ‘Electric‘ and ‘Sixteen‘ expressing the band’s core values, the audience was electrified throughout THE CLAUSE‘s performance. It’s safe to say that the Brummy mob are well equipped for their upcoming UK tour which was teased on the evening.
Now that the Leeds audience was wholeheartedly warmed up, it was time for the main event. The entire venue was cheering for the boys as THE K’S entered the stage while the letters behind their backline flickered throughout. The night began with the album’s first tune, ‘Icarus‘ which had everyone singing along. This suggested that the record was already deeply ingrained in the listeners’ thoughts, whilst the beloved song ‘Chancer‘ is always a guaranteed crowd pleaser and that was no different in Leeds.
The crowd erupted in applause when frontman and guitarist Jamie Boyle announced that he had been sober for 111 days. However, he later stated that he was willing to break his streak due to the record and tour’s popularity, which is understandable given their success but still a remarkable accomplishment regardless.
Before regular service began, the band was greatly amused by the return of the Yorkshire chanting. While the upbeat ‘Black and Blue‘ maintained the mood, the poignant ‘Lights Go Down‘ demonstrated the range of music THE K’S can create and truly touched listeners’ hearts. The crowd began chanting for more as the band quickly left the stage after finishing their performance with their 2019 hit ‘Aurora‘.
After a brief interval, the band was now prepared to end the evening in style with a three song encore. During ‘Valley One‘, another slow song of theirs, people were up on each other’s shoulders around the arena, belting out the words, which made the band members’ faces light up. Once ‘Hometown‘ concluded, there was just one song left, which was none other than ‘Sarajevo‘, their debut single, which completed an incredible performance by the UK’s newest sensation.
Photo Credit: Em Artherton
Taped Magazine 