Mystery Jets, 28/03/12, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Nestled on the outskirts of Leeds City Centre lies hipster haven: the Brudenell Social Club. Once you’ve weaved your way around the urban jungle; past the houses that not only have bars on the windows but bars on the doors too; you get the feeling that you’re roughing it and hoping that the car you arrived in will still have its wheels by the end of the night.

It seems like the most unlikeliest place to hone some of the best and intimate gigs in Leeds, but amongst these grim surroundings lies a thriving venue. On walking into the bar I was transported back to my 10 year old self.  It’s the archetypal venue for a proper northern gathering; except I don’t remember ruffians attempting to flog cuts of meat discreetly from a black bag outside. It’s the little touches makes it that bit special, like the blue glowing fairy lights flitting overhead on the 90 minute wait for doors to open.

Once being ushered into the venue it’s a complete transformation. With rows of red velvet chairs on its tiered seating above the dance floor; it created the illusion as if I was transported back to the 1920s starring in Bugsy Malone and I would be in the line of fire of a custard gun.

Before Mystery Jets appear on stage, the exposed black brickwork on the stage that usually shows a white ‘WELCOME TO THE BRUDENELL’, was instead festooned with a black and white American flag with ‘Radlands’ in a red swirling typeface scrawled over. They revealed that it was made by Blaine’s mum; paying homage to their new album and Austin, Texas - the place of its recording.

Launching into ‘Someone Purer’ was a charming opener but didn’t create much hysteria, just a few solitary bobbing heads. They had to work at getting the crowd warmed up with ‘Show Me The Light’ after asking with exuberance; ‘Leeds, do you want to dance?’ and after a few more prompts Leeds eventually did. As transfixed as the crowd was with Blaine, it wasn’t immediately apparent that there was someone missing; and it was only when they mentioned that they would be embarking on this tour without bassist Kai Fish. They assured us that he wasn’t gone forever and then introduced us to 2 new members including stand in bassist Peter Pepper, formerly of the band Palladium.

They predictably showcased songs from the hotly anticipated upcoming album ‘Radlands’, an offering characterised by a blend of Americana with its bursts of country-infused rock but with that classic Mystery Jets spin. The title track saw Blaine drift to an acoustic guitar that had an element of allure yet simultaneously mournful, leading to a gradual proliferation of drums. Even though the set was buoyed with the most recognisable tracks from second album ‘21’, it wasn’t until they unleashed zealous renditions of ‘Young Love’ and ‘Half In Love With Elizabeth’ that were far more appreciated, as proven by a crutch being pumped in to the air in time with the beat preceded by the owner of the crutch being lifted in to the air gaining a supreme view.

Departing to a hoard of swaying arms instigated by fan favourite; ‘Behind the Bunhouse’ captured a beautiful moment and ensured one thing, that this was a hopeful start to their stint of intimate shows, and thankfully, the wheels were still on the car when we re-emerged.