Live Review: Spector - The Wardrobe, Leeds 30/03/2022
It’s been over three years since London-based Spector last played a show in Leeds, and their sold out performance at The Wardrobe was proof that it had been far too long. At full capacity, the entire venue shook from start to finish.
The standards of this high energy were set by openers Talk Show, who were hardly fazed by the thin crowds as they delivered a setlist of energetic yet distinctive songs. It was impossible not to be captivated by the performance of frontman Harrison Swan in particular. His high intensity and hypnotic stare made him impossible to tear your eyes away from - so passionate that, at times, I was a little bit concerned about his blood pressure. The masses that seemed to have skipped their set missed out on a treat.
As Spector’s performance drew closer, the crowd began to multiply at an insane rate. Multiple people seemed to have shown up in three piece suits, which felt simultaneously bizarre and fitting for the band’s demographic. The band’s arrival onto the stage was marked by a full beer being flung into the air in excitement, and opening track ‘Catch You On The Way Back In’ was met with an insane response from the crowd.
The enthusiasm of the audience never once slipped throughout the entire set. Even during the slower and more monotonous tracks, there were some interesting attempts at starting mosh pits that unfortunately never took off - although I respect the few that formed a very large circle for ‘Decade of Decay’ before realising that there was no suitable drop.
Paired with this was the ridiculously charismatic stage presence of lead singer Fred Macpherson. His attempts at providing the photographer with the perfect photo opportunity (“like the Michaelangelo”) by pausing the band mid-song and dictating its construction was just the beginning; his interactions with the crowd were so mundanely amusing that every line warranted a laugh.
Like the songs, cars were frequently the topic of conversation: one exciting enquiry revealed what one crowd member had been doing in a car park (driving, surprisingly - as Macpherson remarked, “ask a silly question”), whilst ‘Chevy Thunder’ was introduced through an interrogation of a girl whose father was picking her up after the show. Spector may have been the ones on stage, but characters in the crowd equally defined the set.
Audience participation was a staple of the show - although Macpherson was reluctant to call it that, joking that he didn’t want us getting above our station. Time is spent teaching us the backing vocals to ‘No Adventure’, and we’re offered a moment of false democracy as he pretends to consider the fan favourites that were being shouted out for them to play. One group, having their request turned down twice, even broke out into an encouraged rendition of ‘Difficult Phonecall’ in a desperate attempt to win the band over.
An easy highlight was the aforementioned ‘Chevy Thunder’, which had everybody in the venue on their feet dancing. Even Macpherson found himself in the audience for it, crowd surfing for the final chorus and losing his glasses in the process. The final song, ‘All The Sad Young Men’, had to be played half-blind, and the night was concluded with a plea for them to be returned in exchange for free merchandise.
A night of thrills and high energy overall, but above all else, I left The Wardrobe mostly concerned about the missing glasses.
Words by Caitlin Mincher
