“Is there anyone here that you haven’t seen since the last Gentlemen gig?” ask the members of The Gentleman. A huge cheer from nearly all the crowd follows. It seems that being a fan of The Gentlemen is very much a community affair. They could be described as The Leadmill’s house band, having supported Palladium, We Are Scientists and many others at the legendary venue.
Due to their loyalty for their hometown, they have a concentrated fan-base, albeit somewhat small. The 800-capacity venue is a long way from full, but with so many familiar faces, it’s obviously a much cosier and friendly affair.
Since this was a night for Sheffield bands, it seems only right to mention the support band - Dead Like Harry. They peddle an interesting form of lilting epic rock, which someone should mention to their head banging bassist. The band play like professionals, but when there are attempts to try to tug at the heartstrings with pathetic opening lines such as ‘You used to be my angel/You used to fly so high’, it appears somewhat wet.
So onto The Gentlemen, who play enthusiastically, despite being exhausted after spending the day filming their music video in the same place. Lead singer Nicholas Noble – imagine Ricky Wilson and Avid Merrion’s lovechild after a shopping spree with Napoleon Bonaparte – beams throughout and the boys are clearly enjoying their upgrade to headliners. The band’s bio promises a wide range of influences, but in truth their nearest cousins musically, for better or worse, would have to be Fall Out Boy.
The band preview a wide range of material from their forthcoming new album, with 'Unique’ and the like sounding tighter than their previous stuff. Despite a disastrous attempt at a French language ballad (which even goes over the head of my French-studying friends) the whole show is a joyous affair, no doubt aided by all the people who’d been there drinking for the afternoon’s shoot.
Maybe it’s time to get a bit more of an extended family though lads?
Rowan Brunswick
Listen to the support band:
Listen to the headliners here:
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