LIVE REVIEW - Colour Me Wednesday / Perkie / James Choice & The Bad Decisions / Milk Crimes / Exit Earth @ Wharf Chambers, 01/04/2016

Since the Cockpit last shut its doors in 2014, multiple venues in Leeds have popped up, rushing to fill the void and offer their own take on how to represent the local scene. With The Key Club snapping up most pop-punk acts, and Temple of Boom grabbing most touring hardcore bands, it’s up to Wharf Chambers to be the heart of the DIY-punk scene in Leeds. Tonight, as the latest in Wharf Chamber’s Scene Better Days series of gigs, two tour packages come together for a snapshot of the UK’s vibrant DIY scene. Whilst Perkie and James Choice & The Bad Decisions are two weeks into a three week tour across mainland Europe and the UK, Colour Me Wednesday and Milk Crimes are just ramping up on the second date of their tour.

Mercury Killed Newton - The Static/The Wanderer

In the last few years, there’s been a shift in the Leeds metal scene. Whilst there are still plenty of groovy, thrash metal bands kicking about, it’s been technical metal that is becoming a more dominant force both locally and further afield. Leeds bands like On Hollow Ground, Pravitas and Hieroglyph have been intensely active, representing Leeds’ metal scene all over the country and at Tech Fest, the UK’s premier technical metal festival. And all these bands manage to take Leeds’ affinity for anything loud, noisy and hardcore and weave it skillfully into their music. Mercury Killed Newton are no different, and on their late 2015 release The Static/The Wanderer, attack technical metal cliches head on with their hardcore tendencies, albeit to various levels of success.

ZoZo - Silo/D.R.S.A.D

(This review is written more in the style of promotional material that may be sent to a promoter from a band, rather than an objective review that would be intended for publication. Having said that, ZoZo are awesome and I loved this release)


Almost 10 years after the brief, wild neon fling that was nu-rave, and the simultaneous mainstream punky-mathy stylings of early Foals and Vampire Weekend, Leeds’ based Zozo come roaring out with Silo/D.R.S.A.D, a 2-track release that takes, borrows and builds from this era. Part of Chunk!, the DIY collective that has helped grow Leeds’ music scene in the last few years, Zozo have made a name for themselves by tearing up stages with their mix of afrobeat funk, noise rock and witty, yelpy vocals.

Despite Silo running for over four minutes, it feels consistently fresh, with a chunky, funky palm muted guitar providing a great counter melody to the brass instruments, before travelling through more noise rock based choruses and riffs; its climactic build to a final rapped verse just serves to edge out the tension and create a massive payoff. But it’s on D.R.S.A.D - with its more aggressive, energetic, frantic drumming, intense brass melodies and its repeated chorus chant of “D! R! S! A! D! Doing righteous shit all day! - that Zozo really capture the intense chaos of their live shows. Abrasive yet melodic, effortlessly energetic but still caustically cool, and with a downright sinister noise rock bridge pinning the entire thing together, D.R.S.A.D shows just what makes Zozo stand out. Favouring energy over self-indulgence, Silo/D.R.S.A.D is a dynamic and engaging listen, successfully capturing the unique, ecstatic energy that Zozo bring to their live performance. Just try not to ruin your kitchen with intense moshing, eh? Released 29/02/2016 http://zozozozoband.bandcamp.com/album/silo-d-r-s-a-d