The Pigeon Detectives – Up, Guards And At ‘Em! Tour – Leeds Met University 12/4/11
Local heroes The Pigeon Detectives certainly ended their UK tour with a bang, playing a sold out show to their home crowd at Leeds Met University. Cheers began to rise as the opening drew closer, and crowd chants of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” broke out, later bursting into a sing-along of Leeds United anthem “Marching On Together,” which even frontman, Matt Bowman, joyously joined in with. Indeed it was quite like being at football match, with fans delightedly showering the local Leeds boys with support, and appearing proud as punch that at least one Leeds team were doing well for themselves (let’s not mention the Leeds United game that night!).
Bursting onto the stage (quite literally in singer Matt Bowman’s case) to what was like a heroes welcome, the band wasted no time in getting the crowd going. Kicking off with the lively, in-your-face style track I’m Not Gonna Take This, it was clear that this was going to be no quiet night. As frontman, Matt, excitedly danced about, leaping off everything in sight, and whipping his microphone round like a skipping rope (and invariably dropping it in the process!), the crowd quickly followed his lead, breaking into a frenzy of pogoing lunatics. The show was a mass of mayhem, chaos and bloody good fun!
The band delivered a set packed full of fan favourites, and soaring hits from their back catalogue, including This Is An Emergency, Take Her Back and I Found Out, as well as a selection of songs from their newly released album, Up, Guards And At ‘Em! – a title which seems to capture the ballsy, don’t-take-no-prisoners attitude of the band perfectly! Although the new songs have a slightly different sound from what we are used to hearing from these guys, due to the addition of a synthesiser, the cheeky, witty and undeniably catchy lyrics are still at the heart. And the band certainly did a great job of selling their new music to the crowd, as fans already showed their support as they sang and danced along.
Throughout the show, the band showed no signs of slowing down, with frontman, Matt, incessantly dancing leaping about as they powered through hit after hit. This guy literally cannot stand still. It was like he had OD’d on sugar which had sent him a bit hyper – either that or he desperately needed the loo! I must admit, I was rather expecting him to run out of steam at some point with the way he was bounding about, but if anything he just picked up the pace. I have to commend the energy and enthusiasm he throws into his performance – there’s no denying that this guy gives it everything he’s got. He even took to diving into the crowd during classic hit Romantic Type, much to the delight of the crowd – it’s lucky he managed to get out of there in one piece, getting off lightly with a bit of a scratching and a ripped t-shirt. But he didn’t appear to be the slightest bit bothered, and later took to inviting fans to come on stage during the final song of the night, I’m Not Sorry, luring them with the offer of a tenner for being the first one up. Indeed it appears that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, as he invariably took the mick out of himself for frequently dropping the microphone, wearing a ladies t-shirt from H&M, and some of the (and I quote) “shit holes” the band have had the pleasure of playing over the course of this tour.
Indeed this is certainly a band who are full of life, and are amazing fun to watch. With their characteristic bawdy Yorkshire accent, they have acquired a distinctive and instantly recognisable sound, which is suited to their somewhat cheeky and mischievous character. Let’s hope it isn’t long until the band take to the road again – these are shows you won’t want to miss.
If you haven’t already, get your hands on a copy of the latest album, Up, Guards And At ‘Em!
A few video clips from the show
I'm Not Gonna Take This
Romantic Type (Matt dives into the crowd!)
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