Public Service Broadcasting. O2 Academy, Leeds. 19.10.2024.

Despite the early start (6pm doors!) there’s a lot of people already in for Halo Maud, a multi intrumentalist, singer and producer and tour support for Public Service Broadcasting. Backed by a drummer and bass player and playing just a guitar herself Halo Maud delivers a thirty minute set of wonderful, experimental, ethereal songs that bring back memories of some of the more offbeat 80’s/90’s post punky, indie pop bands. Intricately woven sounds that occasionally sound quite random and a unique voice that really is attention grabbing means the set flies by. Leaving the stage with a simple “Thank you.” Halo Maud will have gathered a significant number of new fans with many here wishing the set could have been longer.

Celebrating the aviator Amelia Earheart whose plane disappeared over the Pacific in 1937 as she aimed to become the first woman to fly around the world Public Service Broadcasting’s latest album ‘The Last Flight’ continues their brilliant musical output dedicated to evoking key times throughout 20th Century history. Previous albums have focused on the mining industry in Wales, the race for dominance in space, the industry, art and soundscapes of Berlin and public information newsreals. Albums that are emotional, celebratory, provocative. All are brilliant but to really appreciate what Public Service Broadcasting do and how they do it you need to see them play live.

Occasionally whisper quiet, often a huge mix of rock and electronics their stage show is genuinely captivating. Tonight’s stage set features a backdrop to resemble Earheart’s plane cockpit, complete with circles where the dials are and where, as the show progresses, images and newsreals from those historical moments play out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s hard to put into words just how good a Public Service Broadcasting show is. You have to be there. Tonight is no exception.

A ‘Public Service Announcement’ precedes the bands appearance asking politely that people don’t watch the show through their phones, it’s annoying and it stops those around them enjoying it. An additional P.S. states, quite clearly, that people constantly chatting is also annoying. Both are greeted with cheers.

The Last Flight features heavily, as it should, but doesn’t dominate. ‘Towards The Dawn’ is the perfect opener. Rousing, joyous, rocking. A glance backwards from the photo pit reveals a sea of smiling faces, heads nodding. It’s genuinely heartwarming to witness. The soaring, electronic, dancey, funky ‘Electra’ follows, a homage to the plane Earheart flew. ‘The Fun Of It’ gives Eera, singing from behind her keyboard at the back of the stage the first of her shining moments. At times almost whimsical, at times a pounding onslaught ‘The Fun Of It’ is simply a statement of fact, that sometimes we do things just because we can and we enjoy them.

‘Signal 30’ opens a run of four older songs. Slicing guitars, thumping drums providing a dark, pounding undercurrent to a huge sonic assault. ‘Night Mail’ shows perfectly the way Public Service Broadcasting pull people in so that, apart from the music and atmosphere, nothing else matters. People, completely lost in the sounds pulsing out from the stage, are dancing away to a song about a train delivering letters. ‘People Will Always Need Coal’ and ‘Progress’, narrating as they do the heyday and subsequent demise of the coal industry, are uplifting, overtly political, poignant and anger inducing. All at the same time. Eera’s vocal delivery of ‘A Different Kind Of Love’ is simply stunning as the delicate nuances wash over the (mostly) silent crowd. It’s a brilliant prelude to the sudden tempo change that brings in ‘Blue Heaven’ – surely one of the most perfect singles ever. Emotional, powerful and hammering home the importance of self belief and an unwillingness to bow down to the wishes of others.

‘Spitfire’, ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Go!’ are saved for a three song, main set closing climax that really couldn’t be any better. Huge crowd pleasers, ‘Spitfire’ is a massive, dance inducing moment about what was basically a killing machine, ‘The Other Side’ brings tenseness and ultimately sheer joy and celebration and there’s more than one person stood with a tear in their eyes. Finally ‘Go!’ has the whole place bouncing. Beyond catchy, it’s repetitive beat, layers of guitars and chant of “Go!”, and, eventually ‘Stay’, “Go!”, “Stay” that build and build, together with a screen backdrop that encouarages every person here to join in and a band beaming in the atmosphere they have created. Rarely do you get a chance to witness such a triumphant end to a set and possibly one of the most moving four minutes any gig goer is likely to experience.

A superb four song encore opens with the rarely played, banging beats of ‘Elfstedentocht, Pt1’ and is followed by the infectious, ‘People, Lets Dance’ and the glorious, brass infused ‘Gagarin’ before the night closes, as it often does, with ‘Everest’. We know it’s coming but that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. Rapturous applause, roars of approval, conversations that all boil down to just one sentiment – “How good was that!”, a statement not a question although numerous other conversations do provide a reply – “That was fucking brilliant”.

Public Service Broadcasting don’t just play a concert. They deliver an experience. The sounds, the visuals, the dancing, the stories, the history, the crowd. Everything just comes together to create something really very special. An evening where you can completely lose yourself in the atmosphere that develops from the moment the band walks on stage. A unique band that continues to develop and deliver new, creative moments for their fast expanding fanbase.

One small negative. If you were one of the few people who were too arrogant/ignorant to take any notice of the request for no chatting and you’re reading this then next time you think about attending a gig please work out how many drinks your ticket money would buy in the local pub and stay in there.

Words/photos: Steve White

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