Ruby Duff gives a phenomenal performance at Brudenell Social Club, opening for indie cult classics, The Hoosiers.
Crowning this her hometown show, Ruby Duff delivered an incredible performance that truly made the Sunday scaries run for its life. Adorning a second hand, ethereal, lacy 70’s-style wedding dress, she shouts to the audience “This is my party band and tonight they’re yours”. Her bandmates looked straight out of a camp disco romcom, wearing black sparkly shorts and white shirts – and we loved it.
Live music has seen such a renaissance in costumed-styled bands in recent years. Chappel Roan is an artist whose name comes up whenever we ask bands who they are loving at the moment, and a big reason for that is the mise-en-scene of the performance.
Going to a show and feeling that every element of the time spent on stage has been well thought out, impacting those big theatrical performances, is what audiences yearn for. Ruby Duff put this into action at the Brudenell: the wedding dress, dramatic Twiggyesque make up.
With the ability to go from these fun, heavy, full-of-life tracks to suddenly being able to switch to very controlled almost at a whisper notes, at one point she sang a love song dedicated to Davide from Love Island, and finished it with commanding the audience to watch her perform a ballet move.
The gal had the audience in the palm of her hands, and why shouldn’t she? The band gave Kate Bush meets Goldfrapp, with her mix of ballads into fun dance tracks.
We saw even more of Ruby’s creative side with the merch selection. One of my favorite things to do at a gig is have a look at the merch. I am a big fan of seeing how artists venture outside the norm when it comes to gig souvenirs and Ruby Duff had something I haven’t seen before…Coffee. “Have a brew with Ru” said Aidy, the brilliant Scotsman in charge of the merch stand. After speaking with Aidy about how the idea of selling coffee at a gig came to life (Her leaning into her Northern ways of loving a good cuppa, the idea of sitting down with a hot drink and listening to Ruby’s music) it is clear that this artist loves dancing outside of the norm and creating space to play in.
What better way to end your week (or start it, some might argue) than a Sunday night at Brudenell. This show was a holy matrimony of new and old. We had indie faves The Hoosiers celebrating 15 years of The Illusion Of Safety, and Ruby Duff bursting into the lives of those who were right now discovering her.
The night felt like one big party: Brudenell Social Club does an excellent job of making any gig feel like you’re at a family gathering. The venue’s absolute refusal to modernise the interiors (although it has been spruced up in recent years) makes you feel instantly familiar with your surroundings as soon as you walk through the door, and its humble stage size, means you’re taken into the venue’s arms from the get-go.
Fans of The Hoosiers had clearly been waiting for the Leeds show for a long time – there was an exciting buzz in the air. Unlikely Hero leapt their set into action, followed by Live by the Ocean and fan favourite Cops and Robbers. Hearing these tracks live, I suddenly found myself remembering more than I originally expected.
The Hoosiers celebrating this album felt like a celebration of more than just a body of work but for a time period of music that was really embraced: the indie sleeze era of Topman, Kate Moss, American Apparel, MTV and clubbing (shoutout to The Acca in Halifax).
The audience on the night were not just 29-year-olds running headfirst into being 30 who were getting high on nostalgia like myself; there was actually a huge mixture of people, all brought together by the unmistakable power of a live show.
This night was full of crowd interactions, from Ruby Duff having a singalong with the audience during her opening slot, to The Hoosiers covering Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
The night ended perfectly, with The Hoosiers inviting Ruby Duff back on stage to perform their huge hit, Goodbye Mr A. The audience went wild for this duet and it was brilliant to see The Hoosiers put a fresh twist on this staple track.
