Electronic. Synth-pop. Industrial noise. Art pop. Experimental Rock. Techno. Arcade game music. Orchestral.

I could have used any and all of these phrases to describe Anna Meredith’s music. It’s so multifarious that she’s been played on Radios 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 (unlucky 5), while her most recent album won Scottish Album of the Year.

Thus, I was intrigued.

Live, Meredith’s music was exciting as ever, with tuba, cello and clarinet joining the line-up. She successfully hailed her arrival with the powerful electro-brass fanfare ‘Nautilus’, following it up with easy, airy falsetto on ‘Taken’ and ‘Something Helpful.’ ‘Honeyed Woods,’ was a juncture of gorgeousness, where the live cello really made the difference – gah, it was beauts. I could go on attempting to describe each song with feeble adjectives, but you must really listen Varmints for yourself; it’s a grower not a shower.

However, maybe just because it was her first ever gig in Leeds, or perhaps her background in classical composition (or maybe the Scot just felt alienated by Brexit) but she struggled to get the crowd buzzing. People were barely twitching to music I couldn’t help but bob to. Her quirky comments, like “I feel like a ginormous baby in a play pen”, received only a few smiles, as slightly awkward silences sneaked their way between songs. In a way, I think the hostility may have stemmed from the crowd, whose coldness, both physical and emotional, initially hindered the friendship between artist and audience.

However, by the end, the people of Belgrave were appreciative enough to demand an encore, even if they were too tight to dance.

Emma Dutton