Wire at the Brudenell

We love the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and one of the gigs we've most enjoyed together was seeing Wire (at the Continental in Preston). So, when we saw Wire were playing at the Brudenell, it was, as they say, a no-brainer. 

After a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon at the Minx's grandmother's 90th birthday party, we crossed over on the M62, parked up at our hotel, walked into Leeds for a bite to eat and then walked back out to the Brudenell. 

I am in one of my 'not terribly interested in support bands' phases at the moment but as we entered the social club and headed for the bar, we passed the open door into the venue itself. I stopped, instantly transfixed by the noise, which, as it turned out, was coming from Shobaleader One. Lord, what a very splendid racket! 

So we changed plans on a sixpence and went straight into the venue, which is wonderfully compact, enabling us to stand at the bar whilst still feeling we were near the front of the show. As soon as they finished playing, I headed over to the merch stall and bought their CD.

Then it was just a matter of drinking and chatting and waiting for Wire to come on, and they were well worth the wait! I've found the last three albums a little samey - superficially, at least - but I've enjoyed the latest one a lot this last week. And in addition to the new material, I was delighted that they played 'Boiling Boy' (the opener), 'Small Black Reptile' (very different, still excellent), '3 Girl Rhumba' (just HOORAY!), 'Over Theirs', and, best of all as far as I was concerned, the marvellous 'Ahead'.