Local indie band The Harriets launched their first EP at Wharf Chambers last Tuesday. They were supported by fellow Leeds-based artists, Ben Lucas and Lunablind.
Ben Lucas opened with some relaxing and melodic acoustic guitar. He was followed by Lunablind, with a heavier sound that upped the energy in the room. As The Harriets’ set approached, it became apparent that the audience was largely made up of the band’s friends, all of whom seemed extremely supportive and proud of their mates. Overall, the gig had an extremely friendly atmosphere, the kind you only get at a local band’s hometown show.
Slightly sheepish at first, The Harriets soon settled into the music. By the time they got to ‘Harry’, clearly a fan favourite, it became obvious just how much fun they were having. With shouts of encouragement from the audience, smiles and knowing looks were exchanged between the members, every song painting them as a group of mates sharing an in-joke. Their influences were apparent when they covered both The Smiths and The Beatles. Think the jangling guitar melodies of The Smiths with the Beatle’s up-beat energy and vocal harmonies. It was a really fun night and the intimate nature of the gig meant there was more of a connection between audience and band than you would ever find at a big concert.
After the show, I sat down for a chat with The Harriets’ band members, Ben (bass and vocals), Dan (guitar and vocals) and Matt (drums). Of their early days, Ben told me that “we were two kind of frustrated songwriters, who met up and decided to start a band together in sort of October/ November so around a year ago. Then Matt joined us in around March/ April. He told us which songs were good and which ones were shite.” Interjecting, Matt noted “we still play the bad ones! It didn’t make any difference but I still told them!” According to Ben, “We’d only been together for a very short time when we started recording… we’d done one gig I think!”
We also talked about the opportunities for musicians in Leeds. When I mentioned some people say you have to go to London to make it big, Matt responded with “those people can fuck off.” Dan explained that “it’s good because there are some venues that don’t really mind if you’ve got anything recorded, they’re happy to just let you come and do 20 minutes or whatever. If they like you then they’ll invite you back. Little things like that which were really good for us because we didn’t have anything recorded ‘til late this year. It was good to get gigs and feel like we didn’t have to spend loads of money and time recording stuff. Leeds has got that going for it; lots of little venues that are authentic and genuine.”
The highlight of my night was probably Matt’s description of how the band’s name came about, especially because of the frequent interruptions of the other two shouting “that’s bullshit”, “that’s just not true” or “he’s making this up”. Matt claims that “I had a dream. It was about the World Cup. It was the women’s football teams. There were national teams and society teams like at uni. There was one team that were all called Harriet, under the name “The Harriets”. They were playing Germany and won the final and I was like ‘if that’s not a sign to call your band the Harriets!’ Anything that they said that implied this wasn’t true, just ignore.”
Ben says that their plans for 2017 include “taking a fucking break” and “trying to branch out to some new venues.” In Matt’s words “As far as Rothwell or Morley. We’re willing to go miles out! Bradford’s on the cards.”
Whether it’s Leeds or as far out as Bradford, The Harriets are certainly a band that you should keep your eye on.
Review & Interview by Katie O’Kelly