The Bulletproof Bomb brought their three date tour to a beautifully chaotic close in Leeds this week, as the five unlikely lads from London played to a shockingly small crowd in Brudenell’s Games Room.

‘Suitcase’ set a fast, unrelenting pace for the night. Each song that followed rolled endlessly into the next, giving the crowd no time to gain their breath before another set of lyrics furiously flew from their mouths. Not a moment was wasted talking or advertising their latest This Ain’t Rebellion EP, which is free on Soundcloud, and even the slow and wistful ‘Vapid’ was infused with a heavy ska beat to keep the crowd moving.

The band’s unique sound can only be described as a synth infused blend of Blur and Jamie T, an energetic mix that is perfect for live performance. ‘Evening Tones of the Skull n Crossbones’ also showed the band’s experimental edge as they seemed to merge two songs into one. Starting off as a fast indie rock song, it soon eclipsed into a lonely riff which entranced the rowdy crowd to deathly silence before a different tune was ushered in by the keys and the lead singer, Joel, began to spit over the fear of not being here in 100 years.

The Bomb are one of the few bands that really seem like a gang on stage, side smirking and cheekily bumping into each other whenever possible. Passion oozed from every note, as if they had some desperate need to play.

Ending with one of their first singles, Five Green Bottles, the crowd exploded with newfound energy as everyone came together to cry “la-da-da” until the last chord left them buzzing in an exhausted but ecstatic mess.

Jenny Pudney

(Image: Fairbank Endorsements)