Aural Aggravation

Christopher Nosnibor

Some years ago, Andrew Eldritch mooted the proposal that if Donald Trump became president there would be another Sisters of Mercy album. He probably thought it was a safe bet – surely we all did – and if anything, considered it as a joke rather than a serious threat. But that was before Brexit and the coin-flip which saw the mad world take a turn for the madder, and in an instant, The Day Today ceased to be satire and became reality. It’s a reality many of us are still struggling to come to terms with.

Still, the Trump’s election to presidency has afforded Eldritch a fair amount of press exposure, not least of all courtesy of Louder than War, which coincided perfectly with a Sisters UK tour. It’s all coming together: Manchester legend John Robb is the man behind LTW, and also the firebrand frontman of The Membranes, and also Goldblade, who supported The Sisters a while back (and were cracking at the Leeds show). And then there are the DJs: none other than Utah Saints. The last time I caught the Saints, it was at the Leeds Town & Country (now the O2), playing a benefit gig for Shelter, with The Wedding Present, Cud, The Mission, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, La Costa Rasa, and others, on the bill, and a certain Andrew Eldritch joining them to perform ‘New Gold Dream’ and ‘Gimme Shelter’ (badly). Tonight, they’re spinning some awesome cuts, many of a 90s vintage but also some cracking mash-ups and mixes.

Like that show back in ’93, tonight isn’t really about The Sisters of Mercy, or their premier covers band, Near Meth Experience who are the headliners on this occasion. This is a fundraiser for March Violet and longstanding Sisters tour crew member Si Denbigh (aka Nurse to the Doktor), who recently suffered a life-changing stroke and facing an immense bill for reconfiguring his home to accommodate his needs. As a member of the Violets, The Batfish Boys, and a general stalwart of the Leeds scene for over 30 years, it’s unsurprising people are keen to chip in, and as a fan of both the Violets and the Sisters since around 1987, I include myself among them.

But this is still a gig, albeit one with a raffle and suggested donation of at least a tenner for entry, and I’m here as a punter rather than press. The atmosphere is brilliant: strangers talk about previous Sisters shows and the like, and I chat with a guy who’s travelled from Brighton for this, and it transpires he first saw the Sisters play live at the same Wembley Arena show I attended in 1990, as well as the tenth anniversary show at Leeds University Refectory a year later – and he’s wearing the T-shirt to prove it (mine’s in a drawer at home). It feels more like a party, a gathering, than anything else. And so, the music is in many respects secondary, but seeing acts of this stature in such a setting – not only intimate, but the best venue anywhere ever – is a big deal.

Chris Catalyst entertains, and makes for a good opener: in fact, he’s good fun, kicking out a mix of original songs and covers, with a singalong rendition of A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’ proving to be something of a highlight.

The Membranes are the fucking Membranes, and frankly, no-one can match them for sheer power. John Robb has all the (dark) energy in the world, and The Membranes power through a blistering set culled primarily from Dark Energy, with one backwards nod to their initial 70s iteration. Their power is immense and Robb is eternally ferocious in his bass-brandishing antics as he charges from one end of the stage to the other and leaps, pouring sweat, like he’s hardwired into the mains. He wears crazy shoes. I’ve no idea about the bird heads.

The Membranes

Near Meth Experience recreate the high drama and atmosphere of a Sisters of Mercy show to absolute perfection. Credit has to go to both band and venue for the fact that a band who frequently play festivals and immense venues on the mainland and in South America, and who have just run a tour packing out venues of 1,500 to 2,000 capacity can create the same sound and visuals in a 400-capacity space. The buzz is intense: there’s no barrier and the stage is just the right height for sitting your pint on while observing, and getting down.

The set – shaved to a precise hour – is immaculate in every way. Von doesn’t engage in any chat: in fact, he doesn’t speak and looks pretty uncomfortable, lurking as far back as its possible on such a small stage for much of the set. But the fact he’s an introvert who happens to be in the contradictory – and uncomfortable – role of fronting a rock band is justification enough, and being in such close proximity to a fervent crowd must only make it harder. Even with all the smoke, there’s not really anywhere to hide at a show like this. Besides, it’s all an integral part of the band’s mystique / appeal. Ben Christo slings his axe with wild abandon as they crank out classics old and less old (‘Crash and Burn’ was an instant classic when it first appeared in the set in 2000, and I never tire of hearing it, and ‘Arms’ is similarly ace now it’s bedded in).

They open with ‘More’. ‘Amphetamine Logic’ is delivered with a bolt of adrenaline, and the inclusion of their cover of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s ‘Gift That Shines’ alongside ‘Giving Ground’ and the inevitable ‘Alice’ makes for a satisfying set-list. Winding up with an encore comprising ‘Vision Thing’, ‘Lucretia’, ‘Temple of Love’ and ‘This Corrosion’, it’s a perfectly formed show. But of course, it’s more than that: this is a perfectly formed show in a tiny venue, in relative terms, it’s a big deal. For me, it’s my all-time favourite band in my all-tie favourite venue. It really doesn’t get better than this.