Anybody who has come down to the Leadmill this evening for the launch of Parka’ Ego Trip EP is lucky enough to get not one, not two, but five bands for their money’s worth. Tonight showcases just some of the talented artists who make up the DIY music scene in Yorkshire at the moment: Under Light, Crosswaters, Trash, The Seventy and Parka. Why anyone would choose a quiet night in front of the telly with the banal drivel that is the X Factor, over going down to a local venue and catching raw, passionate musicians doing what they love is absolutely beyond me. Granted, it’s a little bit nippier in the evenings now, but with a warm winter coat, a couple of blood-warming beverages and some heart-warming melodies, you’ve got absolutely no excuse!
Trash
Following Crosswaters – who do a cracking rendition of The Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘I Predict A Riot’ – are Trash. Their single ‘Hot Coffee’ is scheduled for release on Wednesday 10th December and anyone in attendance this evening is lucky enough to get a sip of what’s in store. Having played the city’s small, intimate venues such as The Rocking Chair, Trash fill the larger space of the Leadmill’s main stage with no reservations; their soporific melodies induce waving and swaying all around the room. Alongside the new single, highlights from their set include ‘Brochures’ and ‘Vaccinate Me’; which, like a nice bottle of red, can send you to sleep if you’ve had a long day.
TRASH SETLIST: ‘Intro’, ‘Urban Glow’, ‘Vaccinate Me’, ‘Hot Coffee’, ‘Brochures’, ‘Grease’
But it’s not all mellow indie pop, for Trash know how to work the crowd. By the conclusion of their set there is an eager crowd at the front of the stage, giving it their all. Guitarist Evan Martin seems to have had quite a bit ‘Hot Coffee’ himself, jumping up and down in a High School Musical-esque manner at several points in the set. By the conclusion, both he and frontman Daniel Longmore are channelling the vibes of Pete Doherty and Carl Barat; there’s something ostensibly charming about the two friends allowing their personal space to dissipate as Longmore straddles Martin, who has collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by the intensity of his own performance. Trash seem to be going from strength to strength, therefore it’s incredibly exciting to think what 2015 may yield for them.
The Seventy take to the stage next, and the walls reverberate with their stadium-worthy melodies. This evening the bar for support acts has been raised higher than I ever thought possible.
Parka
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a shooting star full of kinetic energy? No, it’s none of those things – it’s just Casey Lowry, from Parka. The frontman seems to emanate electricity and raw enthusiasm from his every pore; telling me prior to going onstage that he’s sprained his ankle, he doesn’t seem perturbed. The bar may have been set high, and Casey may have a sprained ankle, but there’s no doubt in my eyes that he and his fellow bandmates can clear it with ease as they launch their Ego Trip EP this evening.
After the first song from tonight’s set ‘Thrills and Pills’, Lowry has no reservations in telling the audience that we’re a little bit rubbish. We are, I’ll admit, but perhaps this is because we’re all struck dumb by how awake the band are given that it’s a Sunday evening. The Bastille cover (which we’re told is the first song the band learnt to play together) sees a little bit more audience participation; clapping spreads infectiously around the room and Dan, from Trash, even takes to the stage to share Casey’s microphone before he is ushered off by security. Lowry’s voice is as strong as it is on records and the rest of the band has a meticulously tidy sound that compliments this. A pleasing mashup of The Crookes and Of Mice and Men, with his own distinctive twang, this is a record that you would easily pay more than £3 for.
PARKA SETLIST: ‘Thrills and Pills’, ‘Pompeii’, ‘Woahh’, ‘I Set The Sea On Fire’, ‘What Would You Do’, ‘Cloud Nine’, ‘Dentist’, ‘Big Ego’
Parka’s bassist – who has the strangest looking bass I have ever seen – tells a terrible joke and there’s a slightly awkward atmosphere before the band glaze over this with a song from the new EP ‘Woahh’. Yes, it’s not the most complicated lyrical construction in the world, but the simplicity makes it easy to pick up and easy to engage with as you hear it played live for the first time. An incontestable standout is ‘I Set The Sea On Fire’ which sees Lowry forget his injury entirely, jumping down from the stage and moshing with the hard-core Parka fans.
Along with their musical ability, Parka boast a natural affinity for performing; it’s this that elevates their performance to a different level. Not only does the band rattle through their setlist with ease, but they pepper the silence between songs with the backstory behind the tracks. Apparently ‘Dentist’ is about Lowry’s attractive dental assistant, a detail which bookends the track.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/153912712″]
In an impressive conclusion, Lowry tries to instigate a wall of death. It’s more of a wall of timid, taken aback friends and family members, but you have to give him credit for trying. He leaps back up on stage with a massive grin on his face, and the audience feed off his jubilation. He loves this. And because he loves it so much? The audience loves it too, feeding off his jubilation as he and his comrades launch into the grand finale ‘Big Ego’.
‘Big Ego’ is a mammoth track, about fancying someone who is more than a little bit too big for their boots. They thrive off their arrogant existence as much as they do the attention you give them. You can’t help but be attracted to them “you’ve got a big ego / it’s attracting me though”. As the nerves about looking a little bit silly ease off, the audience members who have been politely swaying from a distance move forward, joining in the jubilant finale. People know the words to this one; there’s clapping and singing all across the venue.
Never mind a big ego, Parka deserve to have a ginormous ego after a cracking performance like this. We await 2015 with excitement, as it’s evident from the show this evening that there’s going to be no stopping this band.
Words by Beth Kirkbride