Sound Of sirens

It's Friday 12th March, the time is 8:30, and The Library is the place to witness the good, bad and ugly of fresh local talent. Fortunately for us there is a tendency towards former over the two latter cases tonight.

First up to kick off the night is Origami Bullets, a four piece, (though one man down tonight) meat and potatoes rock act. While at times their lack of experience may be apparent, they bound pleasurably through a decent set of tunes to the enjoyment of a fairly forgiving crowd. "Keep smiling and no one will notice the mistakes," the singer jokes with a broad grin. But the final song, and possible single, showed a darker side to their Foo Fighters inspired plectrums. The drums continue to pound throughout and the bass growls to chants of "We are so cold and lonely," much to everyone's delight.

Next to take to the stage is Woodrose, with their amps set to get pluses racing and hips moving they launch the crowd into a wave of wailing guitars and funk ridden bass, before dropping into a marching rhythm chorus. They are very quick to establish themselves, unafraid to indulge their talents, as there were solos aplenty from all corners of the band. However they proved to be at their greatest in their relaxed less-is-more moments. Second song of the night was "the distance" which by its name may sound like a soft rock ballad, but in fact it shone through as a glowing beacon of perfect pop-rock, inducing an infectious bounce into the crowd.

When they later allow a drop in tempo for "the slow number," Run Away, Woodrose prove to be extremely versatile and while a band still very much in their infancy, show a lot of promise for the future.

With the second act done and dust there loomed about the stage a collection of unusually smartly dressed young men clutching their instrument in anticipation. Visible through the shuffling crowd is a reflection off a small brass arsenal, and a guitar. Shit. As a general convention I have learnt that suits + saxophones + guitars all upstairs in a pub = tedious ska, perhaps even some incredibly dated elbow jutting, "ows ya farver" cockney dancing. Made worse when coming from an iPod generation group going for the... "We are NOT a Ska band!" ...Eh?

The first rasping words of the vocalist silence the crowd's voices and preconceptions. Slicking back his greased hair and unleashing a chest full of air into his saxophone they begin their set. This is Broohaha, and they play grunge-jazz.

To begin, as their name suggests, they are a collection of loud fragmented noises coming from everywhere and anywhere, however given a few minutes to digest what is being projected, you begin to see the logic that holds the outfit together. The guitar and drums intertwine, as the saxophone first echoes, then leads with a series of sinister squeaks like as hysterical laughter. Instrumentation is lavished with the angry snarls of Ollie Dover's voice as he prowls the stage having the lyrical convulsions of a man possessed.

Of course for the average Joe there is not a major place in their hearts for progressive grunge jazz, (even as a genre it's difficult to comprehend). However rather than isolate the crowd with their own pretensions they throw us a hand with a tongue well and true in their cheeks. After a nonsensical madcap journey entitled "Tuesday" front man Dover quips with the audience, "as you can see we really like Tuesdays." And while not to everyone's taste they safely leave the stage by far and away the most interesting band of the night.

Final band of the night was the more conventional but no lesser, Sound of Sirens. While maybe never matching the spectacle of Brouhaha they held their own with a commanding presence, front-man Rob Doherty demanding hands in the air from the start. His stamina proved nothing short of remarkable as he leapt about the stage flexing and dancing like a Stooges era Iggy Pop. Together they forced their way through an energetic set of punchy indie rock tracks that proved more to the crowds taste than the preceding jazz numbers. With the highlights including their latest single "Sketch my Vision" and the testosterone pumping "Alive" they brought the night's affairs to a sweaty end.
- Leeds music Scene

Artist: Sound Of Sirens [score 5/5]
A great night of entertainment at the legendary cockpit in Leeds. Three Great local bands were on the bill which unusually took place in the largest of the three rooms in the venue. First up was Resonance, a melodic rock act who played with confidence to open the night, combining classic 70's inspired riffs with more dreamy 60's style melodies, all with a modern twist. One downside is that the band seemed a little withdrawn, and didn’t really engage the audience.

Next up was Sound Of Sirens, A local band who have incessantly gigged for the last couple of years. This really came across in their performance, as they electrified the crowd with a storming set. with the 500 capacity room now almost full, Sound of Sirens were a joy to watch, each member giving everything that they had as they entertained the crowd. The set had everything from upbeat rock tracks, to the surprisingly reflective acoustic track titled Unexpected, which showed another side to what at first glance was a straight up rock band. Definitely a band to keep an eye on in future. Following the finale to their set (which included a stage diving, crowd surfing vocalist) we came to the headliners, audio Republic.

This is a band that has been on the Leeds scene for a number of years, and has a good following locally. What followed was a professional set of indie anthems, with many songs having catchy sing - along choruses. Although perhaps lacking the raw presence of the previous band, they were the tightest musically, with each member interlocking perfectly with the others. The band soon had the large crowd singing along, completing a rare night where all three bands worked hard to provide a solid night of entertainment for a receptive crowd. All three bands come highly recommended. - Safeconcerts