Gig review: Hookworms at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

IN a recent interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post’s PostMusic show, Hookworms’ MJ said that Leeds’s Brudenell Social Club was the band’s favourite live venue to play in the UK.
Hookworms - impressed at the Brudenell on Wednesday night. Picture: Steve Gullick.Hookworms - impressed at the Brudenell on Wednesday night. Picture: Steve Gullick.
Hookworms - impressed at the Brudenell on Wednesday night. Picture: Steve Gullick.

So it was quite fitting that, on Wednesday night, the five-piece Leeds outfit packed the Queens Road building to bursting point, having chosen it as the place to officially launch their excellent second album ‘The Hum’ - released 10 days earlier.

Much like the band’s debut album ‘Pearl Mystic’, the arrival of ‘The Hum’ has been rightly and widely praised to the rafters by the music press.

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And to witness Hookworms bring their latest offering to life in front of what, admittedly, was always going to be an affectionate crowd at their ‘home-from-home’, proved to be a sight and sound to behold.

There was barely room to stand, the clamour to see a band some consider to be Leeds’s most precious musical property being so great.

After waramly appreciated support sets from Sex Hands and Kogumaza, there was an immediate nod to the recent past by the headliners - the opening ‘Away/Towards’ proving just as hypnotic as ever – before the band, who had brewed their own ‘Impasse’ beer especially for the evening (and very nice it was too) ploughed straight into the pulsating ‘Beginners’, for me the best track off the second album.

Throughout the whole 55-minute set, the band were able to consistently create a mesmeric, astonishing noise and it was clear it was a special night for everybody involved.

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The pace only really slowed for ‘Off Screen’ before ‘Preservation’ merged into the excellent ‘Retreat’ - replicating its role on the album as the closing number.

It may have lasted less than an hour but, looking around, there were only happy and contented faces to be seen, fully aware they had just witnessed something special.

PH

Gig date: November 20.