Laura Jane Grace And The Trauma Tropes Live In Leeds

This is a day I’ve waited so long to happen, because this is the day I go see Laura Jane Grace of Against Me, The Devouring Mothers, The Mississippi Medicals, and of course the Solo Laura. Being a fan of the original Against Me for many many years, and then following everything Laura has recorded and written since, and missing the opportunity to catch the band play The Brudenell Social Club more than a few years ago, it was certain I was not going to miss this gig at The Key Club Leeds. So, like a 61 year old excited child, I made it to the city via a not so exciting bus ride, the weather had decided it would be freezing cold, we (that’s myself and my wife, whom I’d dragged along to prove how she’d all missed out not seeing this act live) grabbed some welcome warm food, checked into our windowless shoe box of a hotel room, and then made our way to the club. Its a venue I’d not been to before, and a lot smaller than I was expecting, but it was perfectly formed for this particular gig, being so up close and personal is just how I like my music.

Pet Needs were the support act, a band I’d caught only once before in Stockton-On-Tees, and as I admitted to Ryan their bass player, they played three sets at Bearded Theory Festival, which I was at, and missed every single one. This is an act that own every stage they play, a band who have grown from two brothers in a bedroom, to a punk rock with a conscience phenomena of a live and recorded band. The show we witnessed here tonight in a packed room didn’t change that perception in any way, in fact this performance which was rammed with energy and self giving. A show that bounced, sweated, and sang its way from start to finish, just rocketed them even further up the tree. Slam Dunk Festival if you’re listening, get this band booked for next year, and pay them with Toby Carvery vouchers, they’d be happy with that apparently.    

A quick change over and some refreshments downed by everyone, and now before the dust even had time to settle, Laura and the band take the stage to cheers that feel somewhat heart felt, not that other bands don’t get the same, maybe its me being a tad on the biased side, but it definitely felt that way.  ‘Walls’ was the opener which was quickly followed by ‘My, Me, Mine’ and ‘WW3’, a quick glance down to the set list at that moment gave up just how magical this night was heading to be, a 21 song beast of a set was ahead of us.

By the time we get to only song five ‘I’m Not A Cop’ the sweat was building and the pure energy that exudes from the stage is already becoming infectious, singing from the top of their voices you just know the crowd are already fully in the moment, the looks on the faces just radiate with love for this music.  ‘Hole In My Head’ and ‘Active Trauma’ are songs that hearing live just soar, somehow the recorded version as fucking great as they are, just pale in comparison.  At this point a member of the audience asks “can we have something a little happier please” to which Laura quickly adds, “here it comes just for you”, a bit of humour can be found in the best places and the timing was perfect, ‘God’s Dick’ covered this request and the heckler looked happy.

By this time we are not even half way through the set list, yet its flown by, and I’d normally wonder if the whole crowd are enjoying this kind of concentrated whirlwind energy, but looking around the room, from the front all the way to the dark corners at the back all I see are happy excited faces. Being that Laura’s now loving the freedom of expression she seems thrive on, what with the Trauma Tropes, The Devouring Mothers and The Mississippi Medicals, we are truly blessed that the whole set covers pretty much everything, and of course it came in the form of nearly 50\50 new and old. The latter end was time for Against Me songs, and by this time the crowd surfing and the sing-a-long was in full effect. You could almost feel every single heart pounding, every drop of sweat that flew around as each person jumped up and down and shook their heads from side to side, and 100% you felt like you were part of a hive of love.  

As we, that’s we as a whole, danced and sang to ‘White People For Peace’, Don’t Lose Touch’ and ‘I Was A Teenage Anarchist’, and Johnny from Pet Needs joined Laura on stage for ‘Black Me Out’ it was so damned visceral it would take weeks to come down from. After 21 songs from the set list and 3 more for an encore, you were in no doubt that what was just witnessed, was the best gig of not just the year, but for myself the last decade or so. The whole band, and I didn’t mention them earlier in the review, because they fully deserve their own moment, from a bass player in Jacopo Fokas who owned every single note, Orestis Lagadinos on drums with his very own hurricane style, and then there was Paris Campbell Grace on backing vocals, she gave this role a whole new meaning with such soul and feeling you at times couldn’t take your eyes and ears off what was going on at that side of the stage.

To sum up the night as a whole, this gig took a 61 year old all the way back to when he was bitten by Punk Rock and what it could do for you and your life. This night took everything good about the genre and way of life and blasted it out of the universe (well Leeds city centre anyway). A fully inclusive, politically thoughtful, sandstorm of a gig, it got into every inch of your being, Thank you Laura and the band!!!!!

Get out and catch the last dates of this tour, you 100% won’t regret it!

Tuesday 26th November Manchester UK – Band On The Wall

Wednesday 27th November London UK – Scala

Thursday 28th November Birmingham UK – Asylum