Community and Carnage: Turnstile bring ‘GLOW ON’ to the Refectory in Leeds

Rishi Shah on 7 February 2022

One of 2021’s most critically acclaimed albums, transforming the dream-punk of Turnstile’s ‘GLOW ON’ into a live environment posed a new challenge for the Baltimore hardcore outfit. As the band’s growth leads them into larger rooms, the ever increasing gap to the barrier makes the stage diving that is synonymous with their live shows all the more difficult. 

Yet, in the historic setting of The Refectory, which now serves as a University canteen with a balcony cafe, the room – and upper tier – was transformed into a diving board for fans and band members alike to launch themselves off the balcony into the raucous army of followers down below. Quite the upgrade from a chilled morning study space.

Opening with the dreamy, vibrant ‘MYSTERY’, the narrow yet extended room became one gigantic pit of chaos, as fans were treated to this new material live in Northern England for the first time. Nostalgic, older tracks like ‘Fazed Out’ and ‘Gravity’ were interwoven into the set, between a flurry of newer tracks that showcased the complexity and originality of ‘GLOW ON.’ A particular highlight was ‘UNDERWATER BOI’ and its unique structure, as the crowd figured out how to continually match the energy onstage with exact precision.

Whilst bassist Franz Lyons courageously wore a Manchester United shirt with the number 27 on the back, frontman Brendan Yates rapidly abandoned his t-shirt, clambering around the crowd with a hand on the balcony, the whites of his eyes there for all to see – focused as ever. With this album campaign, you really feel the sense of a matured, almost finished article at the height of their powers. Pride and joy resonated around the room, as they closed the set with the unifying ‘T.L.C.’ before departing our shores to tour the USA.

Turnstile headline Manchester’s Outbreak Festival in late June, and tickets are on sale here.

Leeds-based Yard Act do not disappoint with debut album ‘The Overload’

Benjamin Forrest on 21 January 2022

Leeds-based post-punk quartet Yard Act burst onto the local music scene in September of 2020 with their first 7” single ‘Fixer Upper’ backed with ‘The Trapper’s Pelts’. Since then, the group have taken the independent music scene by storm, with singles ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Dark Days’ cementing the band as a unique voice among their peers. The long-awaited debut album The Overload is finally here, after some delays due to a shortage in vinyl pressing plants, and it is already a serious contender for album of the year!

With deep roots in the Leeds music scene, Yard Act is comprised of James Smith who grew a name for himself fronting Post War Glamour Girls, Ryan Needham who saw some success as one half of the core duo which made up the criminally underrated band Menace Beach, joined by Sam Shipstone on guitar and Jay Russell on drums. Their debut album The Overload seems to cover every mood from the high energy, driving beat of ‘Witness (Can I Get A?)’, to the existential-crisis-inducing despair of ‘Tall Poppies’ because closing out with a message of hope in the form of ‘100% Endurance’. Truly, there is not a bad song on this album – track 8 ‘Quarantine the Sticks’ even features contributions from Tor Maries (otherwise known as the post-punk giant Billy Nomates) . The standout track, though, is surely ‘Dead Horse’, which is arguably one of the best pieces of artistic social commentary since fellow Yorkshireman J.B. Priestley wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’. A stunning indictment of current-day England and the shoddy state it finds itself in, ‘Dead Horse’ features the sort of brilliantly smart and sarcastic lyrics which Yard Act have become synonymous with. 

Smart lyrics, catchy tunes and a decent sense of humour – independent music has been begging for a band like Yard Act for far too long. The Overload is a triumph of a debut album. Released on the band’s own Zen F.C. label, and distributed via Island Records, on a seemingly endless volume of different vinyl editions of varying rarity (including exclusive editions released via Crash Records and Jumbo Records here in Leeds!), plus hand-spray painted CDs and two different variants of cassette tape – surely there is valid opportunity for everybody in the country to own a copy of this album, and quite rightly too!

Currently on a tour of the nation’s record stores, Yard Act will return to Leeds for a show at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen for the first time since their legendary Halloween 2021 set as part of Dark Arts Festival. Tickets are available via See Tickets, although they are likely to be snapped up very quickly so don’t hang around!

2021: Reflecting with Kindness II

Celina Tran on 14 January 2022

I spent the last new year’s celebration with my dog, Bear, and my other half in our quiet, small city apartment. Following the night, I wrote my first Reflecting with Kindness article, which was about taking a break and not being so harsh on yourself regarding new year’s resolutions, especially considering the pandemic that left us all locked up for months. 

2021 has been slightly different to its predecessor. As life began returning to normality, so did my expectations of myself, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. After a year of doing nothing but taking a break, I had every intention of making up for 2020’s laziness.

I’m probably not the only one who’s still harsh in my reflection upon the year, almost stupidly so. Last year, I found it reasonable to completely scrap my resolutions. This year, I’ve come to realize that there’s absolutely no point in moping about what I didn’t do when I can appreciate what I did do. 

Did you meet new people? Maintain old relationships?

Growing apart, breakups and fights are normal, sometimes even healthy. But those around you right now? Those whose presence makes you smile, whose presence you linger in? You fought for that.

I’ve had the realisation that my boyfriend and I actually need to keep doing romantic couple things to maintain our relationship. I’ve also realised that I need to call my cousins and friends to stay in touch with them. Maintaining a relationship is so much effort, so if you did, good on you.

Did you get to know yourself? Grown? 

To many of us, the world as we know it is fast-paced, never-ending. Don’t lose yourself in the crowd.  

I’ve gotten to know a lot of people this year, but the most important one is a girl who’s been with me all my life. I’ve not always been the kindest to her, but I’ve spent the year learning more about myself. Getting to know yourself is a never-ending learning curve, and remember, flowers only bloom in the right conditions. Treat yourself with kindness, always. 

What have you done for others?

Didn’t solve world hunger or the climate crisis this year? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. 

But I bet you comforted a friend in distress or picked up an item a stranger dropped in one of those thousands of Morrisons aisles. Perhaps you’re the person who always smiles awkwardly at strangers who pass you, or maybe you’re the one who always compliments your classmates’ handwriting. 

I always feel awkward complimenting people even though I really want to, and I bet I’m not the only one. But having been on the receiving end of when someone does or says something kind has improved the worst of days, so I say go for it. The feeling you leave them with is priceless, and you’ll be happy you did it.  

If your list of successes isn’t as long as your list of failures, I still bet you had a lot of tiny victories. It’s the small things that matter, so bask in your tiny glory (even if said glory takes form in a lampshade rather than sunlight). As I said last time, this year is just another small step in the marathon that is life. Try not to stress, you will do and experience amazing things, and after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. There’s still a long way to go, so as we’re approaching the new year, reflect upon this one with kindness.