Noah Kahan has skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years and there was no denying his impact on Leeds last night. His UK tour sold out in minutes and there were still fans scrambling to get any possible resale tickets at the box office as the arena filled up.
The night began with a stellar opening performance from Toronto’s Wild Rivers. The crowd was littered with Canadian flags as the group opened their set with ‘Wandering Child’ and ‘Bedrock’, two songs that showcase the impressive layering of vocalists, Devan Glover and Khal Yussein.
Glover revealed that while it was only the group’s second time playing Leeds, the city was significant for her because she had been a university exchange student here, crediting it as one the most unhinged and chaotic eras of her life. She introduced one of their EPs, Songs To Break Up To, and ditched her guitar to sing ‘Thinking ‘Bout Love’ with Yassein. This was quickly followed by ‘Amsterdam’ and a stern warning from Yassein not to mess with his family or you’ll hear Wild Rivers songs about you in every coffee shop.
Yassein then introduced the emotional ballad ‘Everywhere I Go’ from an upcoming album. The song captures the feelings of missing someone who has passed away, inspired by Yassein’s late grandfather and his dirty sense of humour. The heartfelt song began as a slower song, sung mostly by Yussein, and picked up the pace towards the end, later being accompanied by Glover’s vocals.
The band then encouraged everyone to use their next song to talk to their crush and played ‘Heart Attack’ from their first EP Wild Rivers, and the whole group were in awe of the arena full of waving flashlights. The love song was immediately contrasted by a Wild Rivers indie-folk twist on the old classic Oasis’s ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ which had the whole room singing and dancing together.
As their impressive set drew to a close, the Canadian band played ‘Neon Stars’ from their latest album, Sidelines, complete with stars projected across the ceiling, and ‘Speak Too Soon’, featuring an impressive dance battle between Yussein and lead guitarist Andy Oliver. Finally, they played ‘Stubborn Heart’ and had the entire room chanting “Why you gotta be so stubborn?” back to them. Wild Rivers will be returning to Leeds in the autumn for their upcoming solo tour and I’m sure they will be seeing plenty of last night’s audience there.
After a half-hour intermission, Noah Kahan made his way onto the stage, dressed in a blue boilersuit and sporting French plaits. Kahan opened his set with ‘All My Love’ and had everyone singing from start to finish. He introduced his show by explaining how his songs are renowned for being sad and joking about how he loves to spread negativity.
His set ran through a number of popular hits, such as ‘Everywhere, Everything’ and ‘False Confidence’ whilst also playing an unreleased song and taking the time to explain what each of his songs means to him. There were frequent chants of “Noah! Noah! Noah!” and “Noah, I love you!” throughout the night which each brought a big cheesy grin to the singer’s face.
The set that featured lots of teary eyes, and even a proposal, finished with the fan-favourite ‘Dial Drunk’. Kahan left the stage momentarily before returning for a powerful three-song encore featuring the chart-topping hits ‘Stick Season’ and ‘Homesick’, with graphics that highlighted Kahan’s own hometown, Strafford.
Noah Kahan and Wild Rivers are making a name for themselves, and indie-folk music as a whole. They made the perfect pairing for this Sunday night performance and left the audience smiling and chattering away as they filed back out into the city.
Words by Ella Gilbert
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