Emily’s Army / Decade

While the rest of Leeds make their way to the new First Direct Arena to watch a certain Bruce Springsteen, we head to a gig where the tickets are a tenth of the price at the good ol' Cockpit. Passing by the Arena Ambassadors waiting in the train station to guide starry-eyed Bruce fans 15 minutes up the road, we are a mere 300 yards from our venue.

We had an idea before this show that we would be among the oldest there. As it turns out we were not the oldest, I would say there were 5 people older than us, hovering around the back of the room leaving all the kids to cram in at the front. Remember playing British Bulldog in the playground with people on either side? It's like that, though without the charging. At least there are no queues for the bar.



We walk in as the youngsters are waving their hands aloft to Decade, a young band from Bath. Fast energetic and the kids love 'em. I do not catch enough of them to comment as it's their last song, but they do gain huge cheers from the teens.

Emily's Army are straight onto the stage to set up then disappear. I wonder what time they are on, as its 8pm now, so ask the sound guy and he says the gig finishes around 9pm. 9pm! This would be the earliest gig I have ever left.

I have seen these young Californians before, supporting Foxboro Hottubs in New York at the Electric Bowery, owned by one Jesse Malin. At the time they must have been 14 or 15, and were very tight back then. Three years on and they are still very tight, a proper solid unit. It's just a shame there's something a bit too clichéd about their on stage moves, and the "Ois" from bands have been done to death now.



I'll not lie; I'm here as a Green Day fan, like my other fellow oldies in the crowd wearing their T-shirts. As Billie Joe's son pounds the drums you can't help but think that they have had a good start in their travels as musicians, but so what? Who else wouldn't in their shoes? Get a job as a cashier or sales assistant, or tour the world (once you're old enough) as a famous son. The latter for me please. BJ probably recommended The Cockpit, seeing as a little known Green Day played a legendary gig here in 1992…

The band play for around 40 minutes including the encore, playing a lot of new stuff from their new album 'Lost At Seventeen', a well-produced collection of pop punk garage tracks. The lads do mention a few names but I cannot hear them as the vocals sound quite muffled in here (or is it drowned out by the teenage girls screaming). I do catch the love song 'On The Roof' and the hook driven 'Avenue', catchy tunes very reminiscent of new Green Day, but among the other tunes they show similarities to The Kinks and Weezer.



I must admit I feel old here; I knew this would be the case, but that said it's good to see a young band playing this sort of pop punk and people getting into it. If that continues for these kids in the crowd and they don't veer off into gobbling up chart shite then I'm all for that. I'll see you, Emily's Army, in a few more years, probably headlining Groezrock or something at this rate.

Part-time Bum
The Kids Just Wanna Dance
Broadcast This
West Coast
Gübermensch
The Rescuers
Pathetic and In Love
On The Roof
Avenue
Loch Lomond
War
I Wanna Be Remembered
Digital Drugs
The Gutter
Lost At 17

Strictly for the Birds
Do You Wanna Dance? (Ramones cover)

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.