Dinosaur Pile-Up - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds - July 10 2013 (Live Review)
Friday, 12 July 2013
Written by Daniel Lynch
“It all started here,” proclaimed Dinosaur Pile-Up's Matt Bigland as his band thrilled a hometown crowd at Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club. The frontman has battled through a revolving door of band members and two self-recorded albums in recent years, but the return to the floor where he cut his teeth as both a fan and a musician couldn’t have gone much better.
Dinosaur Pile-Up are celebrating the launch of second album ‘Nature Nurture’, and Bigland had praise for the staff at the Brudenell for aiding his musical development. It’s as easy to picture him in the throng of people watching as it is to see him the centre of attention.
The decision to move the bands from the stage to the floor seemed questionable at first, but was swiftly justified. Bigland’s rapport with the crowd was excellent, they saw him as one of their own and he responded magnificently. It was a ‘let's get sweaty’ type of interaction and the proximity of band to crowd only served to highlight the relationship.
There remains a distinct impression that this is Bigland’s baby, and if it were possible for him to play three instruments simultaneously and sing, he just might give it a go.
Playing the new album almost in its entirety, alongside a few from debut album ‘Growing Pains’ and some earlier tracks, illustrated Bigland’s development as a songwriter. Summer Gurl and Heather were followed by My Rock ’n’ Roll and Love Is A Boat And We’re Sinking, perfectly encapsulating that progression.
The earlier material still displays a raw rock edge, while more recent efforts retain that grit but show a measure of polish to the final product. As with the opening tracks, Peninsula and Derail are instantly catchy, laden with vocal hooks and a pounding rhythm section.
From the opening beat the audience sing along, with a mini mosh pit raging inches from Bigland’s mic-stand. At one point bassist Johnny Seymour disappears into the melee and is forced to lift his guitar above the bodies to continue playing. Lip Hook Kiss, Arizona Waiting and album closer Nature Nurture end proceedings (“We don’t do encores...we just don’t.”) and Dinosaur Pile Up retreat to the sanctity of backstage. It's good to have them back.
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