The Subways, Leeds Stylus

Leeds University Union has played host to a number of “seminal” performances in its time. Recent years has seen this be perhaps more down to the luck of having the city’s largest venue than anything else. With the imminent opening of Leeds Academy, this title has been stripped from Yorkshire’s most famous dining hall meaning that other avenues of live music require exploring. Its underground club venue, Stylus, has hosted many a live act before, but this is the first of this Academy era, and it seemed to be a great success.

From behind the bar it was difficult to see through the crowd resting on the balcony looking down on the fstage, such was the attendance. With staff required to use ear plugs throughout, and distractions like customers, it was difficult to ascertain who the support acts were from the muffled, interrupted on-stage chatter. The first appeared to be an Irish garage rock Foo Fighters, enjoying the cool, intimately large crowd. Following this was a U.S. act that had your resident Muso trying to pin a song to them before realising it was by Jimmy Eat World, whom this clearly was not but would love to be.

The steady custom at the bar implied that despite this solid support everyone was clearly here solely for the headliners. Having caught them a couple of times at festivals this summer I had been left with the image of a very young band that have not really matured since they arrived. This is not to say they have not developed, the choice of Taking Back Sunday type pre-set filler confirming that they may have adopted new influences but that they still seek a young audience, and why not? That said there was a very obvious older element to the crowd, standing at the back and ordering Bombay Sapphire.

As the lights dimmed the ubiquitous local chant of “Yorkshire” aimed at no one at all assured me that the dance floor I could not see housed the expected local youth, and I can only hope they did themselves proud by circle-pitting each other to a sweaty mush. The Subways bound on-stage to an incredible roar which they then reciprocate with ‘Kalifornia’ from their latest album. The bar goes dead, save for a few rush orders who fluster impatiently as they decide whether to wait for their change or dash over to the band (they always wait). What follows from The Subways seems almost like a greatest hits set; despite having just two albums to their name their ability to write three-minute pop rock fun has meant a penetration of the collective mind. Looking around, those who had earlier declared to have not heard of the band are nodding in recognition as songs like ‘Alright’ and ‘Young For Eternity’ are greeted by cheers loud enough to severely frustrate those of us unable to partake.

The first ending leads to more “Yorkshire” chants before the encore is opened by just Billy and his guitar doing a quiet ‘Strawberry Blonde’ before their time with the USA’s finest emo pop bands is displayed with ‘Girls and Boys’. By this point the crowd knows what is left, and when ‘Rock and Roll Queen’ is announced I make my excuses and head to a better vantage point. This shows the crowd to be as active as hoped, fighting and crowd surfing themselves into the arms of the security folks. This ultra-extended, public participative, love-in version is the same one on display all summer and it still has the same feel good, rocktastic effect. People file out grinning, drenched and very excited. Whilst perhaps not the most accomplished of rock bands, The Subways are unashamedly good at pleasing a crowd, as about 1,000 Leeds residents will testify tonight.