Sky Larkin, Pulled Apart By Horses, Brudenell Social Club

Forget the Huw Stephens connotations: this, for all intents and purposes, is a homecoming show. The last gig of the tour, PABH and Sky Larkin look bloody knackered whilst seemingly every friend of all the bands playing is here tonight, shown by the sizeable crowd first band Cowtown play to. They make an immediate impression, playing directly in front of the stage on the floor with the crowd around them. Resplendent in their matching outfits, the 3 piece play off kilter art rock that makes good use of the interplay between high end taut guitar lines and deep synths/keys. The drumming is tight, sounding as though programmed on a drum machine. While they play an engaging set, it’s difficult to say how much of the crowd are here specifically to see them or whether the relatively late stage times (they start at 8.30, with two bands still to play after them) benefit them enormously. The crowd enjoy themselves anyhow, with much head nodding and toe tapping taking place. The predominant theme that seems to come across in both their music and their image is that they’re deliberately being obscure, almost elitist. In their arsenal are some excellent melodies that they’d near enough ruin by chucking in a random key that really jarred. They need to have the courage to realise they could be a better band if they weren’t so intent on sticking with the obscurest art school image and art school sound they have, to embrace their potential.

Pulled Apart By Horses have no such pretentions. They too play down in front of the stage but by now the Brudenell is packed near enough to the rafters and the lower ‘tier’ an immovable throng of people. While between song crowd chat is jovial and happy (they seemingly know everyone there) the songs themselves are furious. On record their lo-fi rock/punk is a meaty slap to the face, similar to fellow Leedsers Dinosaur Pile Up but not as sludgy or clearly influenced by Grunge. Live: Pulled Apart By Horses are a full on kick in the knackers. So, so much heavier, they’re all over the place, thrashing about furiously while playing 100mph. The crowd are clearly up for it, moshing to every song as though their lives depend on it. By the end of their 30 minute set the Brudenell has been transformed into the hottest of Swedish saunas. It’s a testament to their live capabilities that you hear people in the crowd asking, after a thunderous ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’, “How are Sky Larkin going to top THAT?!”

Truth is, they can’t. To their credit, they don’t try to. The music of both bands is so intrinsically different, it’d be foolish to attempt to. Sky Larkin come out, beaming from ear to ear at the volume of people here to see them. Then they just play. Barely any movement on stage, just simply a band playing music that they’ve created, that they’re obviously still in love with and that they wish to play for their assorted family, friends and fans. It works. The crowd sing along to every song, applaud at the end of each one and generally show their appreciation. To an outsider reading about it, it sounds like a vomit inducing love fest. To those who were there, it’s a touching, intimate show with a fantastic atmosphere and songs to match. Live they’re scuzzier and slightly rockier than on their (very good) debut ‘The Golden Spike’. Katie’s voice is as tremendous as on record though. It cuts through the wave of sound they make live, as the instruments blend her voice soars above, a separate entity entirely. ‘Fossil, I’ is the song that receives the best reception, being arguably their best known song but for our money ‘Antibodies’ or closer ‘Keepsakes’ are the highlights. As the last moments of ‘Keepsakes’ ring out, Pulled Apart By Horses jump on stage for an emotional tour farewell that while in essence may be clichéd, the tears on display seem genuine enough. A great show for the end of a tour that meant a lot for both bands.