There seems to be a plethora of generic indie bands cluttering the music scene at the moment. Trudy and the Romance, formerly just Trudy, are a much needed breath of fresh air with their weird and wonderful fusion of grunge and doo wop 1950s pop.

Running early Trudy quickly strummed a few notes before turning to the audience and asking if they were ready. This brief start was only set back by the realisation that they needed “a new lead in Leeds”- a joke which got a surprisingly good response as the laughs muffled a few groans. From then on the focus was firmly on their music as the tightly packed audience swayed to the melodic beats of the odd retro tunes.

In-between songs they simply spat out the name of the next song before pushing into another hard hitting song, seemingly rushing towards its climax to make sure no one got bored. But, trust me, there is no way you could get bored when songs like ‘Baby I’m Blue’ are being blasted out.

The lead singer and guitarist, Oliver Taylor, was simply mesmerising. His vulnerable and fluctuating voice flew around as he violently twitched to the beat. Unusually, he chose not to use a plectrum as he violently strummed and finger-picked with ease. But the most enticing thing about his performance was how he actively jiggled his voice box to get an even more elaborate wobbling sound that made the Oporto walls shudder.

With only a quick mention that there were two songs left pre ‘He Sings’, the set was over. Just like that, they finished and stumbled through the mass, sweaty and exhausted. Trudy and the Romance are modernising what time has forgotten to make something amazing. And they’re not bad live either.

Jenny Pudney

Image: [DIY]