The Twilight Sad - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds - 16th February 2012 (Live Review)
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Written by Ben Bland
The Twilight Sad are one of those bands that, despite being one of the finest British bands to emerge in many a year, are just never going to be everyone’s idea of a good time. Admittedly this is a band that have built their career out of making records largely reliant on the emotional power of despair, but still one cannot hope that such depressing tendencies should not prevent them growing in stature over the years to come. Certainly the full house here at The Brudenell tonight, even if it’s not a particularly large venue, is an encouraging sign.
The assembled gig goers are in for a bit of a treat tonight. Not only have The Twilight Sad made the journey down from north of the border but they have brought R. M. Hubbert with them. An acoustic troubadour whom, for the most part, does without lyrics and instead creates nonetheless evocative works of instrumental acoustic brilliance, Hubbert delights the audience with his melancholy and wins over any doubters of his sincerity with his heart-breaking dedications of songs to those he has loved and lost. A genuinely unique talent, Hubbert’s set flashes by in the blink of an eye and all present are left with a burning sensation to go and buy a ticket for his forthcoming tour with Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat.
When The Twilight Sad do take to the stage it is to the thudding bass and intrusive synths of 'Kill It in the Morning', the final and arguably best track from new album 'No One Can Ever Know'. Right from the off this is a typically assured performance from the band, beefed up from a trio to a quintet in the live arena. The tracks from the new album are performed excellently, although they lack a little of the surprising immediacy present in previous works and so do not quite receive the audience reaction they perhaps deserve. Far be it for a gig to go by without some technical difficulties, James Graham’s new wireless microphone system crashes within three songs and then there are monitor problems as well, prompting the ever passionate frontman to sing from the crowd during the ever hard-hitting 'Cold Days From the Birdhouse'. By the time the band departs it is to the drone of Andy MacFarlane’s guitar and to the dropped jaws of the famous Brudenell. Painfully loud and, perhaps even more painfully, emotive performers, The Twilight Sad will hopefully be taking their shows to audiences much larger very soon.
'No One Can Ever Know' is out now via FatCat Records.
The Twilight Sad will be on tour again later in the year.
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When The Twilight Sad do take to the stage it is to the thudding bass and intrusive synths of 'Kill It in the Morning', the final and arguably best track from new album 'No One Can Ever Know'. Right from the off this is a typically assured performance from the band, beefed up from a trio to a quintet in the live arena. The tracks from the new album are performed excellently, although they lack a little of the surprising immediacy present in previous works and so do not quite receive the audience reaction they perhaps deserve. Far be it for a gig to go by without some technical difficulties, James Graham’s new wireless microphone system crashes within three songs and then there are monitor problems as well, prompting the ever passionate frontman to sing from the crowd during the ever hard-hitting 'Cold Days From the Birdhouse'. By the time the band departs it is to the drone of Andy MacFarlane’s guitar and to the dropped jaws of the famous Brudenell. Painfully loud and, perhaps even more painfully, emotive performers, The Twilight Sad will hopefully be taking their shows to audiences much larger very soon. 
