Seeing Alvvays at the aptly named church was a religious experience that I am not going to forgetful a very long time. The saccharine sweet quintet danced with sentimentality but somehow managed to never be mawkish as their guitars and synths shimmered late into the night.

After the release of last years album Antisocialites, I was eager to catch Alvvays to see how they had progressed their live sound as much as how they’d furthered the sound of the new record, which offered a wider variety of light-hearted brilliance. The new songs were a more than welcome addition to the setlist; ‘Dreams Tonite’ and ‘ Lollipop (Ode to Jim)’ being especially delightful doses of diabetes-inducing sugary dream-pop.

The crowd was reciprocating the energy from Molly Rankin (Vocalist/Guitarist) as she spoke up to thank everyone for coming and to talk of the last time they were in Leeds at the Brudenell almost 3 years ago. The Canadians became increasingly more likeable as the night carried on.

The music was so wholesome and everywhere, all around, everyone had smiles on their face. A complete surprise, however, was as ‘Marry Me, Archie’ began playing the crowd erupted into dance. The atmosphere was slowly becoming more electric and always were the conduit channelling it into a top-notch show.

It’s a tragedy this gig ended. It was such a brilliant night that I implore, beg, beseech anyone who reads this to listen to Alvvays. Just be careful if you’ve given up sweets for lent as they’ll leave you wanting more.

Camille Saint Seana

Images by Meg Firth