Adult DVD. Sold Out. In The Round.

Freddie Waterland on 24 February 2025

Adult DVD. Sold out. 1am start time. In the round.  

Adult DVD’s hometown gig at the Belgrave Music Hall was as chaotically energetic as anyone who is even vaguely familiar with their music could expect. ‘Yacht Money’ and ‘Hot Set’ provided the ideal start, an unapologetic blend of punchy vocals from lead singer Harry Hanson, strong riffs and as much influence from the synths as could be imagined with no less than four on stage, encapsulating in microcosm the band’s distinctive sound. Often made comparisons to LCD Soundsystem are not without merit, but only by listening to their classification defying acid/electronic/dance rock can one begin to grasp what Adult DVD are about. 

Simply put, the ‘in the round’ aspect of the gig – where the band stood in a circle essentially amongst the crowd, in an intimate ‘boiler room’ style – worked brilliantly. Perhaps the main beneficiary (apart from the crowd) was drummer Jonathan Newell; no longer relegated to the back of the stage behind a wall of equipment, the pulse Newell provided not only provided the perfect complement to the synths but deservedly took the spotlight at times.

‘7 foot 1’ and ‘Dogs In the Sun’ were both well crafted and compiled without losing the jazzy electricity that makes the band unique. They provided the perfect build up to the highlight of the night, ‘Do something’. A cacophonous soundscape as full of relentless dynamism as the rest of their music, ‘Do something’ retains lyrical sardonicism whilst being undeniably catchy. This combines to give a sense of forward motion – surely emblematic of the band’s trajectory in the coming years.

The remainder of the set basked in the playful peculiarity of the moment. It is not every day at 2AM you are stood, essentially engulfed by a dance/rock band, above an (albeit excellent) canteen in Leeds’s Northern Quarter, but as the industrious ‘Sadman Mancave’ faded into the joyfully crazy ‘Bill Murray’, it became apparent it’s something that should happen more often. 

Written by Freddie Waterland

Fat White Family deliver an unforgettable performance at Belgrave Music Hall

Aimee Ferrier on 14 June 2022

Fat White Family have often been labelled with words you may consider negative: “offensive,” “gross,” “terrifying.” However, for the band, formed in Peckham during 2011, these words are not necessarily bad, in fact, they seem to welcome such connotations. The release of the band’s first album Champagne Holocaustin 2014 contained some provocatively titled tracks such as ‘Bomb Disneyland’ and ‘Cream of the Young.’ Their second album Songs for Our Mothers followed in a similar vein – its mixture of drones, krautrock influence, and often murky, dingy guitar sounds perfectly accompanied musings on decisively bleak topics such as Goebbels (from the point of view of Hitler) and prolific serial killer Harold Shipman. By 2019, the band refined their sound with Serf’s Up, Fat White Family’s most cohesive work to date, blending danceable disco-inspired beats with instrumentation and vocals considerably more melodic than their previous albums. Yet, all throughout their career they have continuously kept music publications on their toes, appearing more often out of controversy than because of their music. They have been accused of racism (despite being of Algerian descent) and feuded with everyone’s favourite uninspiring middle-class punks Idles, leading to FWF frontman Lias Saoudi to pen an incredible thought piece on the matters, labelling the Bristol punks as “everything that is wrong with contemporary cultural politics.” It’s safe to say that Fat White Family are not everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay with them. Their latest album may have impressed critics, suggesting that they were moving away from their heroin-fuelled shock-inducing previous efforts, however, their live shows prove that they are still ready to disgust, to disturb, to repulse. 

As the band emerged onto the stage in one of Leeds’s most well-loved hangout spots – Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen, everything seemed pretty normal, with Saoudi sporting a suave suit. The band began playing a track yet to be released before Saoudi disappeared from the stage, leaving the audience in slight confusion as the rest of the band played on. A few minutes later and the missing frontman returned, only now he was wearing nothing more than skin-coloured tight shorts to give the illusion of nudity, his whole body doused in some form of lubricant. Powering into the audience, Saoudi pushed his way through the unsuspecting crowd, screaming into his microphone whilst frantically running circles around us. After throwing his body against naïve audience members he laid on the floor, arse-up, head pressed to the ground as he continued desperately to screech, sing, scream – whatever you would prefer to call it. Once Saoudi returned to the stage, the band played ‘Wet Hot Beef’ which sent the audience into wild excitement. As I grappled to stay upright and find my friends that I had lost in the opening performance, the sheer insanity of Saoudi’s behaviour bled into the audience, making it one of the most intense crowds I have ever found myself in. Yet, unlike my panic-inducing experience at Amyl and the Sniffers, there was a much greater sense of community and friendliness that flowed through Fat White Family’s crowd – it was clear that everyone was in awe of the band, especially Saoudi’s incendiary stage presence. 

The band charged through an impressively energetic setlist, playing hits such as ‘Whitest Boy on the Beach,’ ‘Touch the Leather,’ ‘I Am Mark E. Smith,’ and ‘Fringe Runner.’ Saoudi frequently returned to the audience, otherwise he could be found crouching on the edge of the stage, pouring water over himself and the front of the crowd (much to my dehydrated and sweaty joy), or throwing himself around in a passionate frenzy. Despite everything the band have been through in their twelve years – from homelessness, heroin addictions, breaking up, reforming, losing members, gaining them back – it is clear during their live performances that they enjoy what they do. I have seen few frontmen with the same amount of fervour and intensity possessed by Saoudi – and it was frankly inspiring to witness. Ending the set with ‘Bomb Disneyland,’ Belgrave was filled with chants of “all your kids are dead kids” and “dirty bomb Legoland” as sweaty bodies thrashed around to arguably the band’s greatest live track. I left the set covered in a collection of substances – beer, sweat, water, bodily fluids – a few bruises adorning my arms. A DJ set by Saoudi ended the night where unsuspecting Belgrave drinkers in the downstairs canteen were subjected to the sounds of hard noise and BABYMETAL. I spoke to Saoudi later on, who, now back in his suit shook my hand politely. You would not have believed that this was the same man who had paraded his oiled body around stage only a few hours earlier. 

Whether you only know one song or Fat White Family’s entire catalogue, they are a band not to be missed live, and one you will not forget. 

Bukky Leo & Black Egypt: The Legend of William Onyeabor – Live at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen 10.10.2021

Benjamin Forrest on 17 October 2021

On Sunday night, Belgrave Music Hall was filled with the funky and infectiously joyous tunes of Bukky Leo and Black Egypt, as they performed their renditions of some songs by the great William Onyeabor. 

William Onyeabor was an incredible artist who produced synth-driven funk music in Nigeria in the 1970s and 80s. Very little is known about the life of Onyeabor, but his music was recently thrust into the Western mainstream when David Byrne’s record label Luaka Bop released a compilation album entitled Who Is William Onyeabor? in 2013. The compilation marked the first instance of Onyeabor’s music being reissued, and the album achieved widespread acclaim – NPR even listed it as one of the greatest albums of 2013. 

As previously stated, not much is known about Onyeabor himself but there is no shortage of rumours circulating online; one of the most widespread being that he studied film in the Soviet Union and brought synthesisers back to Nigeria with him, although Onyeabor told Eric Welles Nyström (who works with Luaka Bop) that he studied record manufacturing in Stockholmand purchased synthesisers in Italy –  nothing seems certain when it comes to Onyeabor, it is unclear what is fact and what is legend. One thing that is certain, though, is that William Onyeabor was an unbelievably talented musician who was far ahead of his time. To produce the music that he did, at a time in which synth-based music was still very much a new thing in the West, in Nigeria and moreover to record, produce and press that music with his own facilities is almost unbelievable. Much of Onyeabor’s work still sounds as though it is the future of music, even now, which is surely a testament to the originality and vision of his music. 

Onyeabor is said to have become a born-again Christian in the late 1980s, refusing to speak about him or his music again. After the Luaka Bop compilation was released, Noisy released a 30-minute documentary about Onyeabor in which he repeatedly refused to be interviewed. It was only in December of 2014 (37 years after the release of his first album) that Onyeabor took part in a radio interview for BBC 6Music. 

Tragically, the world lost William Onyeabor in early 2017. The music, however, lives on and will continue to do so thanks to people like Bukky Leo. The fantastically talented saxophonist who found fame among London’s acid jazz scene in the 1980s, now tours the country with his band Black Egypt celebrating the legend of William Onyeabor and introducing those funky tunes to a new audience. 

At Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Bukky Leo and Black Egypt took to the stage and performed their renditions of some of the best loved William Onyeabor hits – including ‘Fantastic Man’ which you may recognise as it recently featured on the soundtrack of the third series of Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’. Although the crowd was somewhat sparce given it was a Sunday night performance, the positive energy in the room was unmatched. Everybody was smiling, everybody was dancing, it truly felt like a celebration of great music and, of course, William Onyeabor. 

As you would expect from a band fronted by Bukky Leo, the musical talent onstage was palpable – every section of the band performed so perfectly, yet their performances also felt as though there was a sense of improvisation and unpredictability. The horn section, in particular, was something to behold; it felt as though every note was speaking directly to your soul. As is to be expected of a show centred around the work of Onyeabor, the synth was an integral part of the performance and it was played masterfully. The two backing singers/dancers were mesmerising and definitely set the tone for the concert, their dance moves would even put Saturday Night Fever-era John Travolta to shame. It would be an impossible task to be in the presence of such a band and not feel an overwhelming need to dance. William Onyeabor never performed live, even if he did you would probably only have a chance of witnessing it if you lived in Enugu, Nigeria in the 1970s, but it was a wonderful experience to hear these songs performed and shared within a live music environment. 

Bukky Leo & Black Egypt are releasing an album of their Onyeabor renditions at the end of October entitled Bukky Leo & Black Egypt presents The Legends of William Onyeabor, which was recorded live at the Jazz Café, Camden, in 2018. Advanced copies were sold at the Belgrave show which means the Gryphon can wholeheartedly recommend picking up a copy of the album upon its release, it captures not only the brilliance of both Onyeabor and Bukky Leo’s work, but also the absolute happiness conveyed by hearing those songs in a live environment. Onyeabor stated in his BBC interview, “I only composed the type of music that would help the world”, with the joy that his music has brought to the world, and the good times being brought by Bukky Leo and Black Egypt to venues up and down the country, there is surely a world of truth in that statement.