Gig review: Belly at Project House, Leeds
Tanya Donelly’s reactivated band offer a welcome a reminder of the potency of ’90s US college rock.
“We’ve got to be professional for Leeds,” says Belly bass guitarist Gail Greenwood, playfully acknowledging her surroundings in West Yorkshire’s largest city, “because Leeds is the greatest city in the UK.”
Such compliments perhaps aren’t merely intended to flatter the seven or eight hundred gathered at Project House tonight, but also seem to to be a doff of the cap, metaphorically speaking, to her recent spell as a touring musician with city post-punk legends Gang of Four on their farewell trek around North America.
Here in these parts to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their album King by performing it in full, Belly are one of a number of ’90s US college rock bands currently enjoying a revival of interest on this side of the pond.
Still led by singer-songwriter Tanya Donelly, who formed the group after leaving Throwing Muses and The Breeders, they remain in fine fettle, with their 1995 LP’s standout moments Seal My Fate, Super Connected and Now They’ll Sleep sounding as good as ever three decades on.
But it’s during their second set of the evening, when they loosen up and dip into selections from their other two albums, Star and Dove, when both they and the audience seem to be having most fun.
The bouncy Gepeto is greeted with a loud cheer, as is an exuberant Slow Dog, yet it’s the lesser-known Human Child that really shines tonight as Donelly stretches her vocal range. Introducing Spaceman, she says they had “practised it twice during the soundcheck and we felt good about it” – “But not that good about it,” lead guitarist Tom Gorman dryly interjects. Nonetheless there’s a scuffed beauty in this slightly rough-around-the edges rendition.
“Are you ready to party like it’s 1993?” Greenwood enquires before Feed The Tree and a mass singalong duly ensues. An extended version of Shiny One, from their 2018 reunion album Dove, interpolates the chorus of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced, and they encore with Full Moon, Empty Heart and an outstanding version of Thief.
With new music promised next year, a rejuvenated Belly have everything to look forward to – and on the evidence of this performance, so do we.