Where to start with this show. Truly a magical evening at Leeds Irish Centre.
The first note I made of the evening was “The venue smells like chips and vinegar, but in a way that’s very welcoming”.
The Howl and the Hum show felt like a real party, which is strange to say when their lyrics can be quite melancholy. However this 800-cap venue (which is “the biggest Howl and The Hum show ever”) had such a heartwarming, homecoming feel to it.
The evening started with Eleanor Moss, accompanied with a violinist from New York City. Her opening set was wonderful. She oozed creativity and demonstrated her love for literature and songwriting through her intros. From stories behind why she created certain tracks to fun facts and audience interaction, she really made it feel like a collective experience. I absolutely adored how she converted a poem by Wendy Cope (one of my favourite poets) into a song and loved her reworking of Motel Blues from the woman’s perspective.
We then moved onto the headline, although if you were going to miss Eleanor Moss, fear not as she accompanied The Howl and the Hum on stage. Frontman Sam gave a very complimentary speech when bringing Eleanor back on stage by saying the artist was an integral part in the making of their latest album.
Bombay Bicycle Club (who Eleanor referenced when singing Motel Blues) has also done things like this in the past when touring. Liz Lawrence has held a support slot and then come on to do backing vocals for the tracks they featured on. Same with Lucy Rose and Ray Morris. It really does give the full picture when listening to a track, and being able to get a true representation of the production, hearing all the instruments and voices that were part of it.
The Howl and the Hum had a fantastic set list, made up of a lot of big sing-along hits. The band couldn’t quite believe not only the turn out, but also the love pouring from the crowd. They even mentioned a few times that “they couldn’t look up” when speaking, probably because of the sheer number of people. This gig was a love letter to Leeds – it was in collaboration with The Brudenell, at Leeds Irish Centre and beautifully looked after by Hanglands, who are a Leeds based PR company.
A moment I was very much looking forward to was a track – I discovered the band from this track: No Calories in Cocaine. I think it’s important to mention this song because I found it on my For You Page on TikTok. There’s a bit of music snobbery sometimes when it comes to “viral hits” and for sure some artists aim to have that big moment owing to social media. However, this felt different. There was a real vulnerability from this track. Sam, alone with his acoustic guitar, sang so beautifully words that really resonated. In a very fast-paced world of Tik Tok, this track completely tore a black hole into the chaotic algorithm and gave me a really sweet moment, followed by a hunger to hear more music. Hearing this live was magical. The rest of the band were off stage to really recreate that viral moment. Crowds sang along and we all connected to these self-loathing lyrics about how fickle the internet can be in the name of self-care.
I cannot wait to see where this band goes, and that is not to undermine the brilliant journey they have had so far (we saw a fan shout out for a song from nearly 10 years ago), but because they have something very special. The way that all the instruments simultaneously blend together, but also really stick out, is music witchcraft. It’s the sign of really clever, well thought out production, executed by brilliantly talented musicians.
If you need a mellow, yet thoughtful Sunday playlist, get The Howl and The Hum on.
Find The Howl & The Hum online:
instagram.com/thehowlandthehum
Photography by Jazz Jennings.
