TURTLE TEMPO

Now that the fracas of the festive period is over, it’s the ideal 
time to look back at Pizza For The People’s Indie Banquet at Wharf Chambers back on the 15th December. Remember, the hazy days of 2018?

Tonnes of momentum ran the night and there was a somewhat unhinged aura that lurked persistently, only encouraged by an uninvited fire alarm. Like sweat laden sardines into the smoking area, and slightly nippy sardines on return, the impromptu health and safety break was comically communal.

Huddersfield/Leeds based Polevaulter set a heavy standard for the evening; they’re an intriguing outfit and the murkily slick noise they’re making is certainly exciting.

Bringing together Chest Pains, Treeboy & Arc and Glass Mountain members, Wilted reduced the noise only fractionally but offered up darker, ominous ramblings. The burden of mental health issues and the frustration of the UK’s political landscape cut through the fuzz that Polevaulter created.

LUMER, of Hull, then knocked out a vigorous and enticing set. There’s a lot to say for the working class doused, DIY music scene of Yorkshire and The Humber, and LUMER are a worthy member of this growing collective.

Hot on the tail of the likes of Shame and Insecure Men, of whom they’ve supported recently, Hotel Lux, hailing from South London and surrounding spots, were as suave as expected. A can in hand, spurts of sort-of spoken word and rhythmic industrial grit (images of a cement washed brutalist block) – with their nonchalant presence – exemplified why the boys are the South London scene’s much adored latest graduates.

Unfazed by their set having a fire alarm interval forced upon it, Hotel Lux were succeeded by Warmduscher’s warped and aggressively surreal presence. They’re like a parody act of themselves. Front man, Clams Baker Jr, swaggered behind his music stand, seemingly dazed, and maybe confused, with his sunglasses, flaunting their cowboy-donned western streak. Through the satirical sheen, undeniably infectious mania was caused by Warmduscher’s brazen deliverance.

If there’s such a thing as enjoyably apocalyptic, PFTP’s final Indie Banquet of the year was dashingly so, and 2019 will bring even more delights from one of Leeds’ most significant and all-round fantastic promoters.