Gig preview: The Barmines at Headrow House, Leeds

The first of their two shows at Headrow House this week has sold out but a few tickets remain for Saturday night.

Singer and guitarist Rob Burton admits his abiding musical inspiration is Britpop. “For me the main one when I was growing up was Oasis – they got me wanting to be in a band and thinking of writing music,” he says.

In the two years since their formation, the four-piece – who besides Burton comprise Liam Lockey on drums and backing vocals, Leam Hayes on guitar and James May on bass – have released two singles, These Days and Nights and Sky’s The Limit.

They’ll be launching their new single Reliance at their Leeds shows. “We recorded it again with Mike Heaton from Embrace,” says Burton. “We always seem to go to his house when we do recordings because the sound and everything seems to work out nicely.

“ It’s quite euphoric at the beginning. We’ve been told it’s quite dancey at the start, from the feedback that we’ve had.”

The singer admits the band are currently in good spirits after playing at the Isle of Wight and Leeds festivals this summer. “We played on the Jack Daniels stage at Leeds,” says Burton. “They called it the closing slot because the headliners didn’t want to headline, which sounds strange, but we’re definitely on a high after that and we had a good turnout as well.”

With a management deal now in place with the team behind Leeds’ popular Double Denim Live gigs, Burton is optimistic. “They took us under their wing which is helping us out a lot,” he says.

After the Leeds dates the band will be touring Britain. “The list is as long as the arm,” says Burton. “We’re doing two dates in Scotland, two dates in London, all over the place. Now it’s a matter of not sitting still for two minutes and just cracking straight on with a UK tour, getting out to as many people as we can.”

Another single is in the bag, to be followed by a further tour. “We’re always prepared for the next move, that’s the plan.”

The Barmines play at Headrow House tomorrow and Saturday. For details CLICK HERE