Australian band Mildlife are back on another Europe/UK Tour and once again gave us a great show at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds on 20th May.
The four guys from Melbourne were supported by new, dynamic electronica /dance band from Leeds, the Long Legged Creatures, who confidently took to the stage and provided a solid support performance, connecting with their audience from the first minutes.
The room steadily filled up while the band around Beth O’Lenahan warmed up the stage for Mildlife, creating a great atmosphere from the first to the last of their sounds, notably when Joshua ZERO joined them to support the vocals.
Long Legged Creatures’ groove electronics-embossed music didn’t allow anybody to stand still – even the photographers in the Community Room at the Brudenell moved to the rhythm of the music.
This new band have been quietly honing their craft from a basement in Leeds and based on tonight’s performance, it seems like this is their time. This is definitely a young Leeds-based band on the rise, delivering the kind of live performance to win over the knowledgeable Brudenell regulars. Anyone who has the opportunity to experience this quartet live is advised take it!
After a short break, Mildlife took to the stage, again with drummer James Donald. It was only seconds before we began to move to the beat, the drummer slowly building up to a rumble and Kevin McDowell delivering the appropriate groove melody on his keyboard.
This Australian band provided a veritable range of style elements. Between seemingly oriental sounds, jazz elements came up again and again, which were motivating the crowd to dance. Most notable were the those which reminded us of a didgeridoo and held the attention of a fascinated audience in front of the stage, only to be grabbed by R’n’B-Rhythms in the next moment. Anyone who now thinks that all these elements don’t even begin to fit together is way off base, at least when these styles are united by Mildlife.
Kevin McDowell’s and Adam Halliwell’s vocal elements, distorted by Kevin himself, put those in attendance more and more into a dance trance of sorts. At the same time, bassist Tom Shanahan and drummer James Donald played each other‘s beats in a kind of harmony that was of gigantic proportions. Between the individual pieces of music there was usually only a slight pause and then a crescendo, but as soon as the audience guessed a slight break was coming, they greeted this with enthusiastic support.
In the second half of the concert, in addition to the guitar, Halliwell also resorted to the musical accompaniment of the flute – sounds that seemed like out of space and only incited the mood in the room even more. The music exuded a sense of wellbeing which was infectious and spread amongst everyone in the room, who moved rhythmically to the sound. Audience and band were in harmony.
The atmosphere at the Monday evening concert was magnificent, and the audience, completely mixed from young to old, was consistently enthusiastic about the combination of groove, jazz, psychedelic and dance elements.
The concert ended with great applause, the hall emptied slowly, but only a few thought of going home yet. Since the Brudenell Social Club was chosen as a location that is both atmospheric and inviting, the cheerful concertgoers and performers lingered to continue the evening with friends, to reflect on the good music and stay until late. Not a bad way to spend a Monday night.
Feature photograph by Mark Wheelwright.