The Coral at Leeds O2 Academy - 14th Nov 2010

It’s a damp, dark and dreary night in Leeds but there is still a hub of excitement at the O2 Academy tonight. The Coral are back with their original line up and the crowd are drunk off the anticipation. Cherry Ghost was the main support and they put on an authentic show, full of elation and desolation in equal measures. One member of the audience is fervently trying to spoil it for them with constant heckles but they handle them with the grace of seasoned performers. 

There is a short interlude before The Coral take to the stage and the crowd stay glued to their spots not wanting to risk losing a great vantage point. As the band walk out the cheering is so loud it covers the first few notes like a blanket. The first few songs are from the latest album ‘Butterfly House’ with a country element that is unexpected but lends itself to their song writing style. As the set develops the indie in the band makes shimmering appearances like the stadium bright spotlights that flash intermittently throughout the gig. Fiercely played electric guitars dance with acoustic guitars and organs, bass and an occasional tambourine or egg shaker flitter in and out of the tracks.

The set is up beat, bouncy and the perfect soundtrack to driving through the countryside on a summer’s day with the windows down and smell of freshly cut grass filling the car. The guitars get changed after every song and apart from making you feel sorry for the technician it limits the flow of the set as a whole a little.

The band play covers of The Beatles and The Byrds and it is not just in those few songs that the obvious inspirations are found. The band look, sound and act like they could have been part of the British Invasion, when artists such as the Beatles and The Kinks became popular in the States. Even the stage backdrop is indicative of the Beatles logo, a simple typeface with an element of flamboyancy; white letters on black background. The haircuts could have been taken off the cover of Rubber Soul and the drummer is a mirror image of Ringo Star right down to the way he plays the drums.

As is normally the case with bands that have been around for a while it’s the older tracks that get the best reaction. “Pass it on’, which was the bands highest charting single, gets the every member of the audience singing along and jumping around, letting the band know that while they were gone they were definitely not forgotten. 

Published in Yorkshire Evening Post