Hands up who’s ever seen Terrorvision do a bad show? Didn’t think so, but can anyone tell me the last time they gave less than 100% live? I’m waiting….

Bradford’s finest export are the only band I’ve seen share a stage with The Wildhearts and come off the better band on the night, and I’m a big Wildhearts fan. Well, the Brit Rock survivors are back with their first album in a decade, it’s called ‘We Are Not Robots’, and it’s a bit of a banger. The band are rolling into Leeds for a (sort of) hometown show in celebration. Did I fancy it? Well, it’s certainly worth braving the shitty Leeds traffic on a damp and dreary Tuesday evening that’s for sure.

I’ve never been to Project House before. Run by the guys of The Brudenell apparently, it’s a bigger venue to cater for bigger bands, I guess. A 1000-capacity venue that has the feel of a warehouse gig. It’s spacious and has a cool vibe, perfect for RPM faves The Bar Stool Preachers to warm things up. Opening with a killer one-two of ‘Call Me On The Way Home’ and ‘All Turned Blue’ from last year’s ‘Above The Static’ album is a masterstroke, and frontman Tom McFaul has the Terrorvision crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the off. The whole band are energetic from the first note until the last chord rings out. Tim especially, makes full use of the stage space and gets the crowd involved as much as possible. The room is pretty full by the time they hit ‘Flatlined’, and getting the crowd to chant the “woah woah” refrain is the perfect way to win over those who are not yet converted.

An exceptional live band flying the flag high and defiantly for British live rock music, proving that there is more to live music in the UK than Oasis and Coldplay stadium shows.

The last time I saw these two bands together was at Bradford St George’s Hall last year. That night I was in the rafters, tonight I’m four rows deep from the front of the stage. For me it makes such a difference to the feel of a gig. To be ‘in it’, to see the smiles on the band’s faces as they play, to see the sweat drip from their skin and just witness how they interact with each other on stage, this is my happy place.

Terrorvision have a strong greatest hits set that flows into double figures and they play them all and more tonight. As guitarist Mark Yates plays that opening riff to ‘Discotheque Wreck’ the place prepares to erupt, and erupt we do. Frontman Tony Wright, is all over the stage like a ball of energy, to his left bassist Leigh Marklew sports sportwear & shades and gurns like a loon for the entire set, to his right the effortlessly cool Mark flexes his tattooed and toned frame as he pulls all the cool guitar hero poses. With the addition of Milly Evans on keys, Chris Bussey on drums and a 2-piece horn section, the band are now bolstered to a 7-piece. Last time out they were all dressed in pink and black, tonight the theme is powder blue and white to match the album art.

Talking of the new album, there are new songs to be played, and punked-up single ‘The Night That Lemmy Died’ is next up, while a bit of a departure for the band it fits nicely and goes down well, not as well as the following ‘Alice. What’s The Matter?’ though, which sounds phenomenal. They then take us right back in time with ‘My House’, to great cheers. I remember first hearing this song in a club in Swansea when it was released, not knowing who the band was, and it always takes me back to that night when I hear it, that’s the power of music folks! Four high energy songs in, and Tony is sweating like a smackhead with a giro, you wonder whether he’ll make it through the set, but the boys only getting started.

You would be forgiven if you forgot how good ‘Still The Rhythm’ and ‘New Policy One’ are, or how ‘Josephine’, with its killer spaghetti western riff shoulda been the big hit off of ‘Shaving Peaches’, but the Terrorvision massive haven’t and show their appreciation in spades.

Newbies ‘Baby Blue’ and ‘You Gotta Want To Be Happy’ prove the band still have a knack for penning a catchy tune or two and they stand up well against the likes of ‘Middleman’, ‘Perserverance’ and ‘Celebrity Hit List’ tonight.

Set closer ‘Pretend Best Friend’ has the trumpets to the fore, the guitars to 11 and the energy levels off the scale, the band then return for a one song encore. It’s here where I’m thinking wtf haven’t they played? They’ve surely played all their aces, but then that iconic “doo-wop” refrain leads us into rock n’ roll ‘Oblivion ‘one more time, and those who feel they haven’t quite sweated enough get to do it one more time before the band bid farewell to Carly Simon’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’. And that is quite a fitting exit.

Author: Ben Hughes