Fleeing From Finales (+ Dave House)
Leeds Packhorse
30/04/2007
Okay, so after a hardcore weekend at the Birmingham Give It A Name, it?s fair to say that I did not have the energy to go to this gig, but after having religiously played the couple brilliantly catchy Powerpop tunes on their myspace (over and over), I?d grown an underlying curiosity as to whether they could crack it live or not.
Apparently, there are two Packhorse pubs in Leeds, one at the top of town (near where I parked my car) and another just off Briggate. I was in the one just off Briggate (a.k.a the wrong one), so 10 minutes before Fleeing From Finales were due on I discovered my error, piled into a taxi and ran on in. Fortunately, they hadn?t yet arrived, but I was just in time for Dave House.
Dave House appears to be the main attraction tonight as the majority of the 50-ish kids here cheer, whistle, clap and sing along passionately to lyrics varying from school days on slightly rockier song ?All D?s No Future? to women on ?Old Girl Back?, in which he also jokingly slates Hadouken (as opposed to Klaxons on the record). In between songs he cracks jokes and chats humorously to the crowd before bobbing and stamping away merrily through to the next. The fun is contagious and the kids love every minute of it, from the odd bit of lyrical improvisation and a song he made about being ?In town (Leeds) for a day?, to his mid-song silly outburst of ?You?re over-shadowing me you bastard!? directed at his backing vocalist/guitarist, which has everyone in stitches! Vocally, House is not the most talented. However, it?s his lyrical creativity and acoustic guitar skills that make it so enjoyable. Well worth a look, even though at times you feel like you should all be sat around a camp fire for it. (7)
Surprisingly enough, two thirds of the crowd appear to have vanished after purchasing their Dave House goodies (buy a CD, get a T-shirt free), just as Fleeing From Finales are coming on, but to be fair it is now past half 10. Their late arrival due to a rumoured 8-hour journey, results in a hurried set-up, no sound check and a shortened set. A slightly sketchy start due to Keyboard problems is overcome by an otherwise quality performance. They rock it out to the best of their ability and the vocals are impressive to say the least. Curiously enough, they look like they?ve been doing this forever, despite being about five years younger than I?d expected from the quality of the songs. The set reveals hit after hit, one of which is new song ?Holding Back? and the fans that are still here sing at the tops of their lungs to the genius ?Mighty Ducks Vs Thundercats?. Sheer brilliance with a glittering career head of them. Catch them supporting Zebrahead NOW. (8)
Carolyn