Live Review: Fizzy Blood – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 19/09/2018

When Leeds quintet Fizzy Blood announced their two-date UK tour, including solely their hometown and the capital, every up-to-date punk in Yorkshire probably cheered when they saw the indie grunge band would be taking to the iconic Brudenell Social Club’s stage.

As supports, Fizzy Blood brought along fellow Leeds groups Household Dogs and The Golden Age of TV; the former captured the growing crowd’s attention with their moody, atmospheric rock and the latter, definitely ones to watch, spun psychedelic tunes with an edge of funk. The crowd still didn’t feel particularly full by the time Fizzy Blood began their set- they kicked it off with Queen of Hearts and Pink Magic, both of which saw apprehensive looks from the crowd and the band alike as frontman Benji Ilkley urged the audience to get properly moving.

Luckily, despite a rocky start, the room changed from relatively lifeless to an utterly chaotic but incredibly welcoming mosh pit; Animals, ADHD, and Summer of Luv were the set highlights, as bodies clashed in the pit and the band’s energy infected the crowd. Strangers displayed the band’s onstage chemistry perfectly – Ciaran Scanlon and Jake Greenway, on bass and drums respectively, are an impressive rhythm section that can switch from sultry grooves to pounding funk beats with finesse.

The quintet rounded off their set with a fitting version of The Boys Are Back In Town; they seemed genuinely ecstatic and the crowd definitely were, calling for more even after the encore had finished. Fizzy Blood’s last hometown set for a while was brilliant, and their fans will be eagerly awaiting their return.

Words by Ellie Rogerson and Photography by Nathan Robinson