Gig review: Big Country at Project House, Leeds

“Thanks for coming out on a cold and chilly night, Leeds,” Tommie Paxton announces a handful of songs into Big Country’s headline performance. The singer isn’t joking when he notes the temperature; puffs of air mist before his face when he leans forward to the microphone, hard gooseflesh fanned across his arms beneath the short sleeves of a luridly floral-print shirt.

There is a small shrug of acknowledgement. “We better warm this place up, right?” he asks.

Winter has truly arrived at this onetime tile warehouse located near the exit spur of the inner ring road, with cars on the pavement lightly frosted before the Dunfirmline rockers have even made it to the stage.

Inside the confines of Project House, the shutters are down, blackout curtains held tight against the weather, with an industrial heater fired up for good measure. One man appears to be wearing two coats, huddled by the sound desk with his hands jammed in his pockets too.

The change of seasons is not the only shift between its walls however. Big Country arrive after a turbulent 18 months that has left guitarist Bruce Watson the lone original flagbearer of the band’s classic Eighties line-up.

Besides his son Jamie on rhythm guitar, the rest of the band are all hands hired within the past few years; musicians who, by their own admission, cut their teeth in tribute acts to the late Stuart Adamson and beyond.

The end result runs the risk of feeling like a glorified tribute act, but it is to Paxton’s credit that he does not try to mimic his forebearer, instead reliant on his own voice and tone. A sparser crowd may have made the trek than expected, but those in attendance are rewarded with a fascinating set that spans big hits and deep cuts in turn, from the clap-clap-stomp swagger behind Driving to Damascus through the sheer verve that powers Look Away.

Throughout, Watson – now firmly entrenched as the lead guitarist – shows that his distinct sound and hue has not abandoned him in his later years, investing haunted lines through Porrohman to The Seer with aplomb. It builds to a natural crescendo, with the evocative chants of Chance and the rambunctious dynamism behind In a Big Country.

“If you’re in a band shirt, you’ve got to sing this one,” Paxton shouts before Fields of Fire, then winks. “If not, you’ve got to buy one, and then sing!” As sales pitches go, he seems to have nailed the job just fine.