Cud / Miles Hunt

Another 90’s band has resurfaced during a busy time for comebacks, this time in the form of Leeds indie quartet Cud (a nice name, despite it means “a bolus of semi-degraded food regurgitated from the reticulorumen of a ruminant”, or cow etc).


Miles Hunt is here to perform a solo acoustic set before going on tour in November with The Wonderstuff, and does not disappoint. He only performs a couple of newbies, and focuses mainly on The Wonderstuff’s greatest hits, including ‘Circlesquare’, ‘It’s Yer Money I’m After Baby’, ‘Caught In My Shadow’ and an encouraged sing-a-long for ‘Don’t Let Me Down, Gently’. Obviously having a good time, with a few laughs during the latter song, Miles shows off his good voice and ends with “the one that go me into all this mess” ‘Unbearable’. A good support for the evening (beats Embrace, who Cud jokingly asked to cover after they did them the favour last night).

Now looking around it’s apparent that I am one of, if not the, youngest persons here. Judging by the rest of the people in attendance, I opt to spend the gig somewhere near the back of the room, as some Cud fans ain’t small anymore, and the thought of being literally crushed in a pit did not appeal on this Tuesday work-night. After the triumphant comeback show at the Cockpit in August, and the mayhem in the crowd, it is a good decision.



As soon as ‘Purple Love Balloon’ leaves the speakers the audience are moshing like they’re in 1989. The flamboyant Carl Puttnam is kitted out in frilly shirt and tight leather trousers (appearing onstage during a chorus of “You fat bastard” from the crowd). “I’ve been wearing these trousers for eleven years and two months” he cries before adding “They’re all from Topshop”.

There are a lot of tracks from ‘When in Rome Kill Me’, in the form of ‘Only (A Prawn in Whitby)’, ‘Bibi Couldn’t See’, ‘Alison Springs’ and the one with the best lyrics in my opinion ‘I’ve had It With Blondes’ (-“I was a teenage stamp collector, I'd lay on my back and you'd stamp on my face”). Most obviously the narrative was missing between tracks (the story linking some album tracks to a guy escaping a crime from Whitby to Rome, to meet Bibi who drops him in it - one of the first rock operas me thinks).



With his operatic vocals and distinctive style, Carl looms over the stage and prances around the other members; doing anything but standing still. The funky staccato sound of the band played with such skill is probably missed by the crowd in the pit as they continue to bash into the stage and climb on it, but do not outstay their welcome up there. I think a lot are just glad to be present at a gig that takes them back a few years. My only gripe is that there is no ‘Push and Shove’ (which would have been appropriate as the place is packed) and no cover of The Kinks ‘Lola’. Well you can’t have it all. A welcome return to a unique band.

FUTURE GIGS