Ben Shires: The Leeds murals are riotous, colourful outpourings of joy bursting forth after 16 years of pent-up drab greyness
They call football ‘the beautiful game’, although anyone who’s had the misfortune of shivering their way through a Tuesday evening defeat at Hereford in the depths of February may have something to say about that.
Times have changed since those desperate days (and nights) back in League One however, and Marcelo Bielsa’s brand of free-flowing, attack focused football has got fans, pundits and purists alike all purring in contented appreciation. At Elland Road, beauty has undoubtedly been restored.
Leeds’ on-pitch revival has also been the catalyst for a creative revolution that’s sweeping the city; from Kirkstall to Call Lane and Holbeck to Hyde Park, vast murals depicting club heroes past and present have been lovingly and painstakingly executed. Much like Leeds United itself at the moment, they seem to dominate the West Yorkshire landscape.
Whilst artwork inspired by football is nothing new, the sheer scale and number of projects currently underway is testament to the seismic cultural renaissance taking place.
These aren’t just attention-diverting daubings that gloat of promotion, but riotous, colourful outpourings of joy bursting forth after 16 years of pent-up drab greyness.
Andy McVeigh, otherwise known as the ‘Burley Banksy’, was one of the first to recognise the galvanising effects a splash of colour could bring to the city. A teacher by day, his trademark painted boxes and bollards, adorned in Leeds livery and bearing iconic phrases and imagery from throughout the club’s history, have become a welcome and familiar sight both around Elland Road and beyond.
Perhaps it’s just the romantic in me, but the nature of his work seems to reflect Marcelo Bielsa’s transformative managerial approach: both take something ordinary and unremarkable and turn it into something beautiful.
It’s a thrilling kind of alchemy to behold.
From these small, guerrilla-like installations, the movement is now spreading on a much grander scale. In the close season, Leeds’ hipster in residence Mateusz Klich teamed up with street artist Meds One to create an impressive graffiti-style ‘Champions’ mural outside Elland Road, proving he’s as adept at spraying paint as he is a pass.
Marcelo Bielsa himself meanwhile, the Leonardo to this renaissance, has been honoured with two vast and contrasting tributes; one a 90sq m study of the master in monochrome adorning a gable end in Hyde Park, the other resplendent in the pose of Christ the Redeemer, a cacophony of yellows, whites and blues.
Elsewhere, an homage to the Yorkshire Pirlo is taking shape in the city centre, as the steady, reassuring gaze of Kalvin Phillips emerges on a building side in The Calls. He’s flanked by pioneering winger Albert Johanneson, Leeds legend and one of the first high profile black players to feature in England’s top flight.
It’s surely a sign of the times that artwork as unashamedly big, bold and beautiful as this feels appropriate right now.
Whilst Leeds’ long overdue Premier League promotion has been the cause for much celebration, there’s no escaping the fact that the pandemic has cast a long shadow over 2020. Stadiums remain empty, shops are shut and hope can often seem in short supply.
These murals are more than just the record of a successful season, they are a reason for unity, joy and optimism for a brighter future.
So let’s continue painting the town…as long as we don’t paint it red.