With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’ – Mike Batt June 1, 2025

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:44 pm
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I love a good music related autobiography, but I love a great one even more. Mike Batt‘s autobiography, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy – My Life Of Musical Adventures’, is out now in paperback and it is a truly great read. I put this up there with my favourite musical tale of life ‘Rod : The Autobiography’. Mike Batt has had a career full of stellar highs and Stygian lows and he has come through it all and continues to produce some great music. I am sure that many casual music fans will think of Mike as the bloke behind the Wombles incredible collection of hit songs. They would be right, however he has achieved so much more than that. He has worked with such a talented range of people in the rock and pop world, including David Essex, Art Garfunkel, Family, Roger Daltrey, Cliff Richard, Captain Sensible, Hawkwind, Olly Murs, Justin Hayward and the Kursaal Flyers.

His song writing credits would come close to filling a book in their own right. How about “Bright Eyes” (Art Garfunkel) and “A Winter’s Tale” (David Essex) for starters. He also produced one of my all time favourite singles, “Little Does She Know” by the Kursaal Flyers. But it doesn’t stop there he is a renowned classical conductor and composer who has worked with some of the world’s biggest and most respected orchestras. He has helped break Vanessa Mae and Katie Melua into the mainstream, effectively launching their careers.

He is the man who created a fabulous musical odyssey from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense long poem “The Hunting Of The Snark”. The recording of these songs from the 80s have stood the test of time perfectly, and if it wasn’t for the perhaps jealous bunch of bastards that call themselves theatre critics the stage musical version might well have been a huge success. For me what shines through in this book is Mike’s positivity, even in the face of adversity. Although he has faced some incredibly hard times dealing with the black dog of depression. Now in his eighth decade he is showing no signs of slowing down either.

As a teenager I felt that the Wombles songs just weren’t cool enough for me, but as I got older I realised that I probably wasn’t cool enough for the Wombles. Every Wombles hit has aged incredibly well in my opinion. Particularly “Remember You’re A Womble”. That one sits perfectly in any glam rock playlist from 73-74. I have listened to a massive range of Mike’s work while reading the book. The Wombles of course, but also ‘The Hunting Of The Snark’ and his solo work, I loved delving back into his early solo albums ‘Schizophonia’ (1977) and ‘Caravans’ (1979).

He is a man who once said no to the Queen and still received a very special honour from her. You will find more details of those escapades in the book! He has been a board member on the BPI, the PRS and the Ivors. The world of music is most definitely better off with people like Mike Batt in it. This book is testament to his grit, determination, creativity and talent.

I have followed some of Mike’s activities on social media and as in the book his sense of humour shines through there too. His profile description on Twitter is classy and amusing. “Artist/Singer/Songwriter/Producer/Composer/Director etc. I’ve conducted more orchestras than you can shake a stick at“. There are way too many wonderful anecdotes in the book to mention. But a couple of Womble ones spring to mind. His Mum hand made all the Wombles costumes and he and his wife once dressed as wombles to go to a party at Rod Stewart’s where they serenaded the guests with Christmas carols. Also the piece about not knowing how to do coke at another Rod Stewart party made me chuckle out loud.

If you read just one autobiography this year I strongly recommend that you make it Mike’s book ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. You will not regret it! It is an easy read and I finished it in two days, so I suppose Mike can add writer to his long list of credits now! You can order the book from Amazon, just click here! Also I had a wonderful chat with Mike about the book earlier today. The audio of that conversation will be appearing here very soon!

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The Mayhem Charts – April 2025 May 28, 2025

Filed under: Mayhem Monthly Chart,Mayhem Top 20 Chart — justwilliam1959 @ 3:41 pm
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Here is the Mayhem chart for April 2025, rather tardy I know, but better late than never right? Regular readers know the chart is based on my streaming listening habits. These are gathered over the last month by obscurify.com. My taste in music remains 99% more obscure than the rest of the UK! The chart remains contemporary-ish (but if a classic artist releases something new they might feature in the chart). However, last month’s top three “Legacy” artists were David Bowie, Max Romeo and the Isley Brothers. Obscurify also suggests the most obscure artists I have listened to for March and they are Liz Davinci, Dead Rat Society and Kindelan. Bowie, Liz Davinci and Kindelan have retained their positions from last month.

Millie Manders and the Shutup are the top artist for April’ up from number three in March . Millie and the gang are the only artist in the artist chart remaining from last month. The artist chart, I am pleased to say, is made up of 70% female or female fronted acts. These include Lexi Jones, Emma-Jean Thackray, Litany, Greentea Peng and the amazingly talented abs! Three artists feature in both the artist chart and the song chart; Cassyette (7 – artist, 2 – song), Dead Rat Society (4 – artist, 4 – song) and Apollo Junction (10 – artist, 5 – song). One of Mayhem’s favourite bands tops the song chart with cracking current single “Take Down”, yes it is one of York’s finest bands, Lost Trends! So without further ado here are those charts in full! Click on the Spotify link below to listen to the famous (or infamous) five! Nearly fifteen minutes of great music!

Mayhem Artist Chart April 2025

1 Millie Manders and the Shutup
2 Abs
3 Lexi Jones
4 Dead Rat Society
5 Greentea Peng
6 Litany
7 Cassyette
8 James and the Cold Gun
9 Emma-Jean Thackray
10 Apollo Junction

Mayhem Song Chart April 2025

1 Take Down – Lost Trends
2 This World Fucking Sucks – Cassyette
3 Elephant – Neckbreakers
4 The Night – Dead Rat Society
5 Settle Down – Apollo Junction

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‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos’ – Dead Rat Society

Filed under: Album,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:37 pm
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Every so often an album comes along that grabs you by the (metaphorical) balls and doesn’t let them free until you submit to its masterful musical charms. ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos’ by Dead Rat Society is such an album. It burst into the atmosphere on 2nd May like a comet seeking to plough a hole from one side of our planet to the other and it has been on constant rotation here at Mayhem Towers. Dead Rat Society are based in London and blend so much into their glowing musical palette; Grunge, Punk, Metal, HipHop and EDM and probably more. They have started to pick up a lot of Radio play, particularly from John Kennedy of Radio X. He played their single “Girls” six times and gave it the X-Posure ‘Big One’ and they appeared on a coveted spot on his ‘The Remedy Night’ on March 25 this year. Dead Rat Society are Ed Harris (Vox, Guitar, Keys, Songwriter, Lyrics), Ben Potter (DJ, Producer, Songwriter), Connor Firmston (Bass) and Will Piney (Drums). Apparently the band began as a bit of a musical joke which experimented with influences from Prog Rock and old school horror films.

The album opens with “The Night” a wonderfully warped clarion call for what is to follow. It is like the Prodigy but in a much darker universe than this, the constant siren drone starts off giving harsh undertones before it becomes a part of you. I love the inclusion of a piece of the Star Wars Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme), subtle and perfect. Lyrically this bunch are like 21st century Beat Poets, the line “You’re a lowercase phrase hanging with the capital” speaks volumes in just a few words. “Can You Feel It Your Face” follows and it has a jolly happyish synth riff coupled with a vocal that is haunted with anguish. One of the vocal hooks asks “are we the last of our race”. Sadly I fear that we are, but Dead Rat Society will be featured heavily on my Armageddon playlist. The band are not brand new to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, we reviewed their single “Come With Me On A Spaceship” back in January and that song is the third track on the album. Back then I said that I think we should all get on their spaceship and zoom to Planet Dead Rat! Lyrically it is pertinent and amusing. I particularly love “Have you tried looking outside?..everything is really Fucked“. This is electro punk garage hiphop and that is just for starters. They also incorporate some wonderful voice samples. Well they may not be samples, but either way they work. Ed from the band said this of the track “The song is mainly about inviting someone to let loose, pull away from the drudgery of modern life and relax for a bit. Away from all the lame shit. Escapism through and through by any means necessary!” I stand by every word I said back then!

In a strange coincidence, for me anyway, “Needed The Sun” opens with what sounds a little like the bass opening of the northern soul classic “The Night” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Well a loose coincidence but it does share a title with this Dead Rat Society album, right. Anyway “Needed The Sun” has a gorgeous obsidian dark jazz feel to it. It is also hard to ignore a song that opens with “I’m a fuck
But I hide it well“. On “Immaculate Vibes” I sensed a Scroobius Pip influence coupled with a Sleaford Mods feel. After a few listens I think “Shoplifters Welcome” might be my favourite track on the album. It has an insistent jagged electro feel throughout and a lyric that venomously spits anger. It also boasts words that IDLES might be proud of. The band go into an almost ballad type mood on “Leave With Care” where the emotion and pain is almost palpable. I feel that I am almost suffering with them. Not many bands or artists can pull off such a great modern blues feel as Dead Rat Society do on “Little Victories”. It reminded me of the best of Iggy Pop and Nick Cave.

“Bounce Back” is a great track that in my opinion is begging for a great dance remix, maybe by Rizzle Kicks? Of all the tracks here I feel that this one ought to be all over the radio. It is funky, catchy and seeps into your mind and stays there rent free. The album closes with “Dream River” which washes over you with dreamy calm, like a tranced out Stone Roses, but with much better vocals. The only negative comment I have is that it is way too short at less than 30 minutes, but then again, fuck it, just play the damned thing twice. Sum 41 once called an album ‘All Killer No Filler’ and that phrase describes ‘Reflecting Light And Causing Chaos’ by Dead Rat Society perfectly. Can I add that the album cover is probably the best use of a baby on a cover since Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ back in 1994. Honestly You are an absolute fuckwit if you listen to this and don’t rush onto Dead Rat Society’s spaceship and blast them into your life. If you don’t then I suspect that your brain might be missing!

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“On My Mind” – VHS Vegas May 25, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:10 pm
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VHS Vegas is a brand-new band from York, well technically I suppose they are a York supergroup drawn from the ashes of three of York’s finest bands, City Snakes, Mayfire and  Hærtstrings. Their upcoming new single, “On My Mind” harks back to the finest jangly indie rock of the Britpop era reminiscent of bands like Cast and Dodgy. The music is high on a happy vibe while the lyrics sit on the darker side of melancholy. It is danceable and could set the student disco alight. If it gets plenty radio play (and it should) it might even be something that your postman whistles! The playing is close to perfect in every department, in particular the bass which drives the track with an unassuming but commanding presence.

I don’t know how the band came up with their name, but I believe VHS Vegas is a phrase that refers to creating a video editing effect in VEGAS Pro software that imitates the look and feel of a VHS video. This includes simulating the artifacts and imperfections of a VHS tape, like noise, distortion, and even glitches. Well, that might be true but this VHS Vegas sounds glitchless and perfect with any noise and distortion being their to enhance some great sounds. Archie, Ewan, Hamish and Luke are VHS Vegas, and they will in your ears and your venues soon! “On My Mind” is not out yet, but when it is you will listen to it, that is an order!

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Sleuth Gang – Fulford Arms, York – Saturday 17th May 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:02 pm
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I have not reviewed a Sleuth Gang gig until now. Although this was the fourth time I have seen them. I was one of the judges for the Fulford Arms Battle Of The Bands contest last year so saw them in the heat, the semi final and the final. But before I talk of the Gang known as Sleuth let me tell you about the two support acts. First up was Mooseknuckle from Leeds, they play some hard driven metal driven punk and it is so good it would be impossible to ignore even if you were ordered to. The singer prowls around his front of stage mic stand like a caged panther and what a fucking awesome punk rock voice he has. Stu, the guitarist, shows some great guitar god shapes and his riffs are immense. Meanwhile new drummer Elliot knows how to attack the drums with sublime style. This is the first time that I have seen Mooseknuckle, it won’t be the last!

Next up it was Dharma Hounds all the way from Essex. They don’t just wear their social conscience and politics on their sleeves they are clearly impassioned and driven by it. This is a band that this currently shitty world needs. The songs from their current EP are fucking awesome, particularly the title track “Nah”. They play punk like they were born to it, but they can do so much more too. They threw in some great skanking sounds with a cover of the Pioneers 1969 UK number 21 hit “Long Shot Kick De Bucket”. That part reminded of a couple of of punk bands that knew their way around reggae and ska, the Clash and the Members. The singer sings some outstanding punk vocals and in the slower almost spoken moments he sounded like Scroobius Pip. I had never heard of Dharma Hounds before this gig, now I am definitely a fan!

I has been an honour to be a judge at the Fulford Arms Battle of the Bands contest these past few years and in awarding the Judge’s Wildcard to Sleuth Gang after the semi finals there was no doubt that this was the band that blew me and my fellow judges away. As you know they went on to win it last year with a blistering set. Now they are back at the scene of their triumph to headline the Fulford Arms. What are they like? Imagine the Beastie Boys backed by Led Zeppelin with Liam Howlett producing. This was a towering set even by a band who appear to set their own musical standards so high. There were three tracks from their debut EP ‘Initiation’. Of those it was “Pity Party” that had the crowd eating out of the band’s hands. Their cover of the Prodigy’s “Omen” had an electrifying and mesmerising outing. Every song was a highlight, but if I had to pick one that stood out from the rest it would probably be a single that they released in February, “Grit Your Teeth”. If this band does not yet have your attention please tell me why not. You need to rectify this right now. Sleuth Gang will get bigger and better and I reckon they will be around for a very long while. They remain authentic, “for real” and as punk as fuck! Whose gang? SLEUTH GANG!!!!

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Holy Holy – O2 Academy, Leeds – Friday 16th May 2025 May 18, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:39 pm
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I first saw Holy Holy back in 2019 when they played the Barbican in York. Sadly that is now just over six years since then. But I was not going to miss this Leeds show. For those of you who are unaware Holy Holy is a band with the backbone of two David Bowie stalwarts; Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey a former Spider From Mars (in fact the last surviving Spider) and Tony Visconti who produced many of the Dame’s albums and contributed bass on ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ The vocalist is Glenn Gregory off of Heaven 17. Are they a Bowie tribute act? Not in the wonderfully theatrical sense that Absolute Bowie are I see Holy Holy more as a band that is keeping the Bowie legacy alive through people who were there and were a part of the whole Bowie phenomenon. The current tour poster sums it up as ‘A Celebration Of Bowie’ and that is just what it is.

While it wasn’t a sell out there was quite a big crowd and unusually I don’t think I was the oldest punter in the room. There was no support and the crowd was most definitely ready for the band. As they took the stage cheers erupted all around me. The set focused on the Ziggy years with just a handful of later songs making an appearance, notably “Heroes” and “Ashes To Ashes”. The latter had Visconti playing in a fine slap bass style, which is not his usual method. Glenn Gregory’s voice suits the material well and he was having a great time. He said plenty of times that he felt so lucky to be doing this. Glenn did not put a foot wrong his voice was perfect on every song but for me it transcended perfection on “Lady Grinning Soul”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” and “Life On Mars”.

Woody’s drumming has not dimmed with age he is like a Duracell Bunny metronomic miracle and for me is still one of the best living drummers. The band were tight and clearly well rehearsed. Apart from Visconti, Woodmansey and Gregory the band has some hugely talented musicians. Guitarist James Stevenson nailed Mick Ronson’s almost untouchable playing from those heady Ziggy years. Janette Mason comes close to matching Mike Garson’s style of playing, particularly on the ‘Aladdin Sane’ songs “Lady Grinning Soul” and “Time”. Meanwhile Jessica Lee Morgan contributed some great 12-string guitar, stunning saxophone and backing vocals.

It was Glenn Gregory’s birthday and he was presented with a cake which was topped with rocket (the leaf vegetable, not a spaceship or the Guardians Of The Galaxy character). After the band and the audience sang Happy Birthday to him he passed it to a lucky fan in the front row. But I heard later that the cake was returned to Glenn. The band closed with a mountainous “Moonage Daydream” before returning for an encore. The first song in the encore was Bowie’s 2013 single “Where Are We Now”. Gregory recounted a story of singing happy birthday via phone from David Bowie from the stage of a Holy Holy show in New York in 2016. From that high he was stunned when he heard just a few hours later that Bowie had passed away. It was a truly heartfelt and soulful rendition of a later years Bowie classic. Tony Visconti then described his first meeting with David in the late 60s and Woody talked about life with the Spiders. He said that Bowie was in the stars but he Mick and Trevor were proper grounded Yorkshiremen. David could also pull off a very good Yorkshire accent. After that rather entertaining interlude Holy Holy smashed it rocking out to “Rebel Rebel”. This was an incredible gig and I hope to see Holy Holy again soon. There are still five dates left on this tour, get yourself to one of them if you can!

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Lene Lovich – Fulford Arms, York – Friday 2nd May 2025 May 17, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:41 pm
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The last time I saw Lene Lovich was back in 1979, nearly 46 years ago! Then it was at the Hammersmith Palais. This time it is in one of my adopted cities finest venues, the Fulford Arms. Before I tell you about her York show I need to tell you about the two support acts. First on stage was the Insect. Imagine, if you will, the Sisters Of Mercy spliced with a pre-mega fame Adam and the Ants and crossed with a happily angry and definitely not oh so quiet Bjork. Their sound is a brilliant fusion of glam and goth, This was not just about the music this was also a gloriously full on performance. The singer somehow reminded me of Fulford stalwart and kingpin Chris Tuke, I wonder why? 😉

Next up was the much touted and hyped the Gospel. They sound like Birthday Party period Nick Cave working with Bryan ferry and being produced by the ghost of Jim Steinman. The sound comes across as a percussive rock opera for the 21st century. Initially, while their songs are very good and superbly executed I felt they all sounded a little bit samey. I also felt that the drums were a little too loud in the mix. However from the point they played an incredible goth gospel style cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” they exploded into another universe. Did I not hear the early part of the set properly? The slightly slower pace of the song that followed the Madge cover was eerie, predominantly driven by the ‘Psycho’ shower scene style string sound. This song also had a wonderful female vocal with ethereal soulful fragility. They closed with a cover of Cockney Rebel’s “Tumbling Down” which was breathtakingly good. I think I need to listen to more of the Gospel.

Finally it was time for Lene Lovich. She wore a dark gothic style black veil as she was escorted to the stage through the fired up punters. It might be a very long while since I last saw her play live but she still has the knack of making her set of glorious songs exciting. There was not a duff song on display. Whilst many in the crowd went apeshit for huge 1979 smash “Lucky Number” the highlights for me were “Blue Hotel”, “Monkey Talk” and “Angels”. Although the hairs on the back of my neck were raised when the spectacular “Supernature” was played. I feel that Lene has always possessed a great sense of her immense talent and who she is without any sense of arrogance. She doesn’t just dare to be different she has, to paraphrase David Bowie and “turned to face the strange” and making otherness her home. At times you could imagine that Lene was in fact a Sally Bowles for these times with nods toward a 1930s Gin Palace. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely too. I do not intend to wait so long before I witness Lene Lovich again! There are still a few dates left on this tour, if you can still get a ticket the do it!

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“Worst Trimester” -peach|melba May 10, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 9:44 pm
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From it’s sparse but powerful bass driven opening chords “Worst Trimester” grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let you go until the song is over. This is the single that LA/ Brighton duo peach|melba released last month. I played it on repeat so much I still have the marks on my neck, but trust me the pain was worth it. This is a fucking awesome track. Much of the instrumentation is lo-fi but the bass has other ideas , like pummeling you into submission for one. The song is about the politics of pregnancy and is a shout out to downtrodden women, LGBTQ+ and other minorities across the globe. The lyrics are spot on and carry weight, passion, anger, frustration and a degree of humour. My favourite line is “Queer people struggle to adopt, struggle to fund IVF, struggle at the school-gates, struggle with the legal rules.
We’ve been put in concentration camps, we’ve been sterilised, and still our kids achieve more at school“. That sounds more than legit to me! The song also features on the iconic queer NETFLIX minidoc ‘Sperm
Donors Wanted’.

This is 21st Century Riot Grrrl and I reckon that Kathleen Hanna would love this. peach|melba told me in an email a few weeks ago that if you’re a fan of the Lambrini Girls (I am) you need to check out peach|melba, and that is definitely true! They write, record and mix everything themselves and the video that accompanies the song was shot in one take on a bus. These two are not just talented, they are mega talented! The band have said “We swear on your mother’s life to release a new song every six weeks until world peace has been fully achieved“. My 89 year old Mum might not like the music (she doesn’t, I checked) but she wants world peace too. The next scheduled peach|melba releases are;

“Fell In Love With Godx” June 9th, “Dykes” July 21st, “Have A Latte” September 1st and “Sound Of Violence” October 13th. I have heard next months release, “Fell In Love With Godx (She Was Really Fit)” and it is damned good! I know that peach|melba will feature here again, watch this space!

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Matt Goss – Barbican York – Friday 25th April 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:35 pm
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Those lovely folks at the Modern Record asked me to review Matt Goss when he came to York last month. Having not been a huge fan of Bros I was intrigued but not excited. How did Mr. Goss do? Click here to read my review on the Modern Record site, while you are their check out some of the other fabulous stuff that they post!

Photo by John Hayhurst (Snapagig)

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Superconductors – Craven Brew Co 3rd Birthday – Skipton – Saturday 26th April 2025 May 5, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:18 pm
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The Craven Brew Co is a cask led brewery with a delightful taproom and award winning brewers. In April they celebrated their third birthday with a music driven mini festival which featured an array of talented covers bands; Hazjak, 1960 Four and Superconductors. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see all the bands. I was there for Superconductors to see my mate Andy play drums. This was only their second or third gig, but it seemed like they were far more of a seasoned band than that. To say that Superconductors are versatile would be an understatement. They play punk, pop, rock and glide effortlessly from one genre style to another. Their seventeen song set was vibrant and included songs from the 60s right through to the 21st Century. While some people danced, everyone else sang or tapped their feet.

“Rosalie”, the Bob Seger song that was a hit for Thin Lizzy kicked off proceedings and it set the tone for a set that never stopped rocking. There were plenty of highlights including “I Fought The Law”, “Basket Case” and “London Calling”. They even played a version of Abba’s “Does Your Mother Know”. Who knew that a song like that would work so well when played by a bunch of middle aged blokes? Covering the Barenaked Ladies classic “One Week” was a challenging and brave move which the band, particularly the singer pulled off perfectly. Apparently it took him three months of dog walks to learn the lyrics. A magnificent set was closed with a rousing romp through Leeds favourites the Kaiser Chiefs “I Predict A Riot”. My lasting memory was an authentic take on the Ruts smash from 1979, “Babylon’s Burning”.

The playing was pretty immaculate throughout, I was very impressed with the guitarist who moved effortlessly from one style to another. In my opinion a covers band has to have talent, passion, a sense of fun and skill in selecting the right tunes. Superconductors scored top marks in every one of those categories. I have seen many covers bands over the years and not many were as good as Superconductors. The band take their name from a Rush song but I also took a look at the definition of the word. A superconductor is a type of material that, when cooled to a critical temperature, can conduct electricity with no resistance or energy loss. The band are cool, hit a critical temperature from the start, were electrifying, no one resisted their entertaining show and they did not appear to lose any of their abundant energy despite playing for an hour. If you are looking for a covers band in the Leeds area or Yorkshire then look no further than Superconductors!

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