CABBAGE @ BRUDENELL

I took the short trip up the M62 to Leeds to see Cabbage for the third (and probably final, probably...) time on their Torture tour. Their venue of choice for Leeds, Brudenell Social Club, has been a venue I’ve wanted to visit for quite a while, so i was excited to see if it lived up to the hype that plenty of other bands, including Cabbage themselves, had given it.

Cabbage have had various supports with them throughout this tour, tonight was Heavy Rapids, whom I saw supporting them at the Deaf Institute in Manchester, and was incredibly impressed by. The four-piece are a part of the on-the-rise Glasgow Punk scene, along with bands such as Rascalton and Baby Strange, and are definitely on the way to being yet another success story from North of the Border. Lead vocalist Dillon Squire’s stage presence and their heavy guitar riffs is very reminiscent of fellow Glasgow punks Rascalton, but Heavy Rapids are very much one in their own and are definitely a band i will be seeing much more of.

Having seen Cabbage twice so far on this tour, i’ve seen them walk out to the most crazy songs (The Coronation Street Theme at YES and Lay All Your Love on Me by ABBA at Deaf), tonight’s choice was ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, a slightly tame choice but a choice i’d fully expect of Cabbage nonetheless. Opening with their take on pop and newest single ‘Torture’ then jumping into old favourite ‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade’, Cabbage have a knack of being able to weave between songs from their various EP’s with ease to create an eclectic mix of both old and new songs to play at their shows so there’s something for the newer fans and something for the veteran Cabbage fans who’ve been there since the start, and this is something they have down to an art.

An addition to the set for this tour has been ‘Tell Me Lies About Manchester”, which has been dedicated to the late, great Ray Boddington of the infamous Mancunian buskers The Piccadilly Rats, who tragically lost his life in a tram accident last month. Ray and the Rats have been a staple in Piccadilly Gardens for as long as i’ve been going to Manchester, and they featured in Cabbage’s video for ‘Postmodernist Caligula’, but as they get an honourable mention in ‘Tell Me Lies’, there was no other song to dedicate to such a Mancunian Legend. The tributes at each show have gone down a storm, everyone paying tribute to Ray in their own way proves how many lives he touched and will definitely be missed by all in Manchester.

As well as playing all the fan favourites, the band have been debuting two new singles on this tour, ‘Raus’ and ‘You’ve Made an Art Form’, two songs i’m eagerly anticipating the release of in the coming months. ‘Raus’ is very much typical Cabbage, with heavy bass riffs and Asa Morley making his presence known on the drums, as well as the infamous screams of Lee on lead vocals. ‘You’ve Made an Art Form’ on the other hand, is quite different, with its catchy chorus and a slightly bouncier feel, i can see it being a big success for the band when it’s released.

Mossley’s favourite semi rebellious punk band always put on a fantastic show, i’ve been lucky enough to see them five times now in five completely different venues, and i’ve never known a band consistently put on a show the way they do, they mix rowdy songs and bantering with the crowd better than any band i’ve ever seen. If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Brassica yet, i suggest you do while you still can, you won’t be disappointed.

review by ames