If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear this gig was sponsored by the word “sexy”. A pause between songs didn’t go by without tonight’s bands saying it: “Let’s get sexy!”, “You’re all so sexy!”, “What a sexy crowd!”. I was watching said crowd from the sidelines. “Sexy” isn’t the first word that comes to mind. But I suppose you can’t blame the bands for sweet-talking their audience; they were hell-bent on causing a scene.
The under-aged messes in the audience stumbled out once support acts, Young Legionnaires and Gay For Johnny Depp, had finished ripping every one’s eardrums (and in GFJD’s case, innocence) to shreds. Those who knew what was good for them stuck around to soak up one of Britain’s best up-and-coming live acts, in all their chaotic, sweaty, equine glory.
Pulled Apart By Horses have built up a reputation over the Summer for putting on a show, and tonight was no different. Their art metal approach is dappled with powerpop, making them incredibly fun to thrash about to, but with an eye for melody.
The grinding guitars and pounding drums of ‘E = MC Hammer’ was the curtain opener, providing the perfect call to arms in this war against the twee and the spineless. New songs ‘Back To The Fuck Yeah’, ‘Soft Handed Punk’ and ‘Yeah Buddy’ also exploded onto the stage, amongst a smattering of stage dives, attempts to take down the air-fans and general onstage tomfoolery.
Second single, ‘High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive’, from their self-titled debut album, really brought home the sheer magnitude of Pulled Apart By Horses’ angst-fueled alternative rock. With a righteous instrumental and battle cry “I’ll make you dance with my balls on fire”, it showcased the Leeds foursome’s strange, ear-twisting splendour to phenomenal effect.
When the end of this spectacle was nigh, the crowd were reminded of how sexy they were a couple more times and then turfed out into a snow-sprinkled Sheffield, never to have their ears stop ringing again.
