Leeds born and bred, indie rock band The Pigeon Detectives returned to their home turf to perform a sold out show at the intimate venue ‘The Wardrobe’ on Thursday. The energetic opening act Fighting Caravans, a self-named alt rock quintet also from Leeds, set the tone for an evening that sure to fill any Northerner with pride.

As the lights dimmed, the now sizable crowd compacted itself towards the stage to be greeted by the intro to ‘Animal’, a song that set the pace for what was to be a sweaty and memorable evening. Following with ‘I Found Out’, a crowd pleaser that featured in rom-com Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, the band proceeded to churn out tune after tune from their back catalogue.

With an engaged and mildly intoxicated sea of fans before them, the band took the opportunity to debut some new songs, including ‘Lose Control’, which premiered in September on Clash Music. Though characteristic of the band’s sound, the song indicated a change in style that has inevitably come about from their two year break, a promising sign of what’s to come in 2017.

Bowman regularly praised the crowd, affirming “this is going well, I mean you, not us, well, hopefully us too”. The band frequently applauded the audience, who ranged from teens to old timers masking their age with a denim jacket, on being the best yet. Bowman, after resurfacing from a curly-head first dive into the front rows, admitted they always “put themselves on the line to put on a show”. Asserting “we’re here for a good time not a long time”, the band provided a good time indeed.

Entering an encore brought about by a hearty chant of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire”, the lads returned with a repeat of ‘Everybody Wants Me’ and a crowd surf. Still unsatisfied with their night ending, fans flooded the stage and danced the band off to a resounding chorus of Sinatra’s ‘I Love You Baby’, and continued onto the Wardrobe bar to drink with a heart full of Northern pride.

Andrea Loftus