7/10/21 - Leeds Academy
 

Rollcall.....

Yep yep yep

Aye

I’m here

One thing I forgot during lock down is how the Leeds Academy always feels absolutely rammed when it's anywhere near capacity, far more so then other venues.

Was meant to go - couldn't. Couldn't shift my tickets so I'm pissed off tonight!

Setlist?

Apparently La Tristesse Durera in the acoustic slot. Nice..

Yes, La Tritesse Durera was the acoustic one tonight, although James originally intended to play Masses Against the Classes. He started playing the chords from the verse and mixing it up with the high notes from the start of Faster, calling it a mash up! The crowd were very vocal shouting out requests and James messed up the start of the lyrics and stopped. The crowd convinced him to play La Tristesse and he said he'd need help with the lyrics. It was unrehearsed but really got the crowd going, cheering him on as he tried to remember the guitar solo! Nicky praised him afterwards for pulling it off and when James got his electric guitar back before the start of Sweet Child of Mine he played part of the solo again, joking that he could remember it now.

EDITED TO ADD A LINK TO A VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpOm9RHB5rs

Thought the atmosphere was a bit flat in the first half tonight, like it was at the arena three years ago. They came on, went into Motorcycle Emptiness, and I felt like I was the only one where I was singing along! I get that Manics gigs tend to draw slightly older crowds nowadays, but you'd think they'd show a bit more life when they're playing the likes of ME and Tolerate.

However, that La Tristesse Durera acoustic version seemed to give the crowd a bit of a kick up the arse and the set ended brilliantly. I wasn't sure about the idea of them including Sweet Child O' Mine in favour of a classic like Motown Junk or Faster but they knocked that one out of the park.

Band were tight as always, and I'm glad to see them in Leeds not playing the arena for once!

... and No Surface All Feeling was back in (where Little Baby Nothing was last gig).

…with full outro solo. Always appreciated

Thought they were great last night. Really good, enjoyed it more than Halifax last month, and a very good set list (although I'd love to see something from Futurology or Rewind The Film in there). Think Slash n Burn was my highlight, and Spectators of Suicide was fab, first time I'd seen that since the Festival Hall (2008?). I agree that the crowd were a bit flat at times, but I'm having to get used to that, the gigs aren't as raucous as they used to be.

Wish I had done / was doing another gig on top of London. Love this band. To think the band I fell in love with at 16 years old is still going, still releasing albums, and have never done the fabled 'split up and reunite' like most of their contemporaries. Brilliant.

Oh and one other thing. Got a good position just to thy right of James, and for once I could actually watch Sean.

I rather enjoyed that. Wish they ditch Sweet Child and also stop encouraging people to clap your hands. SOS (Spectators not the Abba song although that I'd like to hear!) was great. Good to see that they've refreshed the set list.

Low Hummer were rather good fun also - they seemed to have improved live since Halifax.

Enjoyed it immensely. Stay Beautiful was supposed to be the acoustic track according to the set list.

After decades of waiting, I finally got a Manics make-up bag to store my Manics compact in:cool:

I really enjoyed it. James seemed to be in quite a bullish mood where he was happy to mess about a bit.

Yes, I've noticed that James has gone against the set list quite often in the acoustic slot this tour. By the time they got to it, he was definitely planning to play Masses Against the Classes instead, but then got convinced to try La Tristesse Durera by the crowd.

EDIT: See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpOm9RHB5rs

Thanks for the video. James is the best!

Really enjoyed last night, much more than York earlier this week, which felt a bit flat compared to the gigs last week. I think Stoke has been my favourite of the dates I've been at, but Leeds was still a good 'un and the crowd down the front were quite lively, especially towards the end.

The venue security were a bit OTT when we went in, though. Checking every single item and compartment of bags, needing to ask a medic whether my husband could bring in Ibuprofen for his broken arm (funnily enough, he could). Definitely the most thorough of the tour and almost on par with airport security! Don't remember it being like that at the Academy in the past, but it had been a while since I'd been there.

We were in the queue when they soundchecked and heard them play NSAF and Enola/Alone, so figured at least one of those would show up. Always love to hear No Surface, so I was pleased with that and La Tristesse (and I was glad they dropped Into the Waves of Love, as I'd grown bored of it tbh). James was happy to banter with the hecklers during the acoustic slot and even told them to calm down (in a jokey fashion) because they wouldn't shut up :lol:

That was my last gig until the acoustic gigs/Q&A in Kingston and then Wembley/Llandudno at the end of the year, but it's been so good to have them back again after two long years and the band have seemed pleased to be back too. My legs and back are happy to have a bit of a rest now though ;)

Is that your own video? If so I have a sneaking suspicion I was stood next to you throughout the gig! Apologies for the excessive arm waving during songs!

No, it's not my video. I just found it on YouTube. I was sat up on the balcony right at the back.