Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is a bizarre gig venue for someone who’s never been there before – a small, grotty building situated between dilapidating garage and a taxi rank in the middle of a housing estate outside the city centre. The anticipation kept rising along with the time lag; doors on Wednesday, March 28th were meant to be open at 7pm sharp and it wasn’t until half past when the inscription "Mystery Jets, sold out" appeared and the night was about to begin.
Luckily the, rather unusual in England, summer weather was in the crowd’s favour to wait outside. Some people decided to have a drink or two in the bar while others stood by the front door to the venue anxiously looking at their watches every once in a couple minutes while having a chat with their mates.
As the venue finally opened, the interior took most visitors by surprise, creating a cozy and intimate atmosphere. With not more than 300 people inside the crowd consisted mostly of indie fans with their seemingly disarrayed hairstyles, wearing fake glasses and chequered flannel shirts.
Having started with one of their new songs, "Someone Purer", the band went straight onto the well known and loved by their fans tunes including "Young Love", "Two Doors Down" and "Show Me The Light". All the heads in the crowd nodded as one letting the band wow them with that rock ‘n’ roll flavoured rhythmic guitars, smiles on their faces and most of all, the positive, friendly attitude. Here and there few people swayed or stamped their feet to the rhythm as the groovy music continued with every following song.
With lack of showiness, Mystery Jets seemed to have been enjoying themselves as well. Even though performing without their bassist Kai, who as we were about to find out needed to take some time off to become a devoted father to his newly born child.
By previewing a hint of their latest material from the forthcoming, fourth album, Radlands, the band has definitely left their fans hungry for more and excited for the release. They have explored and developed more raucous sounds while recording tracks in Austin, Texas.
It’s clear that The Mystery Jets decided to go for a rather intimate tour. Maybe that’s because this was their first gig in the last 18 months, or maybe because their bassist wasn’t there. Either way, the inconspicuous venue, the mise-en scene, the centrepiece above the stage – American flag with inscription ‘Radlands’, made by Blaine’s mum as the lead singer explained – added some charm to the overall impression.
The thriving night came to an end with the final song of the encore "Behind The Bunhouse". Although the concert was over for the fans gathered in the Brudenell Social Club, the band perceived it as a beginning of their tour. And surely the throb of Mystery Jets that night combined with their catchy melodies left many people with pleasant memory of that warm, March night.
