LIVE: Eaves – Leeds Belgrave Music Hall 06.05.15

The sublime evening was opened by the flawless raw vocals and effortless simplicity of Steph Fraser. Standing in front of the crowd at the Belgrave Music Hall, armed with just her guitar, she sings songs of love and loss in a style reminiscent of Daughter or Laura Marling. There isn’t anything that hasn’t been done here, but her delivery is still utterly flawless, with an enthralling voice to be reckoned with.

Next to grace the stage is the indie rock four-piece Lake Komo, who are by far the best support act of the evening. They radiate fresh youth and positive vibes on stage with their energetic performance and uplifting tunes. There was little to fault in their performance; they were a joy to watch.

The final support was a group by the name of Dancing Years, whose performance was marred a little by a few technical issue, but otherwise put on a soft and chilled set. Their indie/rock style is reminiscent of Bombay Bicycle Club, whilst the vocalist has a voice not unlike Orland Weeks of The Maccabees. Whilst their songs were bitter-sweetly beautiful, their stage presence lacked a little. Nevertheless, their music had soul and brilliance and I would definitely watch them again.

Eaves, pen-name of Joseph Lyons, graced the stage accompanied by his band and support act Steph Fraser for a set which was complex and enthralling from the off. With his husky and intense vocals he moved the crowd from soft contemplation to full on musical brilliance song by song.

The songs from his latest album, What Green Feels Like, range from seductive and thoughtful (‘Dove In Your Mouth’) to beguilingly moving (‘As Old As The Grave’). The pair take the stage alone together to cover Mountain Man’s song ‘Animal Tracks’ in perhaps the most glorious moment of the evening. Nowhere was the perfect harmony of Steph and Joseph’s vocals more apparent. You had to be there.

As if this wasn’t enough to please the crowd, Eaves then plays the most popular single from his album, Pylons. His delivery is soft but intense and the crowd’s energy picks up as they absorb this lyrically gorgeous song.

The night ends on the final two tracks of the record, ‘Purge’ and ‘Creature Carousel’. The former is emotionally intense and spills out frustration, perfectly exhibiting Eaves’ raw charm. The latter sees Joseph take the stage alone with an electric guitar for a powerful and personal outro. Throughout this show it has sometimes felt like the band drowns out the pure brilliance of his vocals and lyrics, he is best when his voice is the centre of attention. Before closing with his last song, he thanks the crowd in a shy and honest way, with no clichés or false emotions. This night was all about the beautiful music, and Eaves delivered in every sense. It was truly, truly beautiful.

Eleanor Langford

Eleanor Langford

Eleanor Langford

Probably drinking coffee and late for something.
Eleanor Langford

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