Gig review: The Pigeon Detectives at O2 Academy Leeds

The Pigeon Detectives made sure Leeds felt like the centre of the universe on Saturday night at the O2 Academy. The venue was packed with a crowd ready for chaos, laughter and loud music.

Kicking the night off were two support acts, Monday Made and Gravy. Monday Made kicked-off proceedings, and made sure the room was switched on for what was coming. Gravy were impossible to ignore, a raucous indie upstart from Leeds who played like they’d been on these stages forever, winning over plenty of new fans with their sharp energy and big choruses.

From the second the Pigeon Detectives appeared it was clear that Matt Bowman is a frontman with absolutely no plans to stand still. Bowman gave the crowd everything: leaping high and landing with perfect technique, spraying water over himself, the photographers and anyone close enough, and clambering onto the barrier to sing face-to-face with the front row.

At one point he decided crowd surfing was the best option, and the people responded by keeping him moving throughout the song.

Bowman has dance moves for the whole crowd and leads them like an instructor who swapped a swimming pool for indie rock chaos. Synchronized arm waving, jumping, and dancing, everybody was involved. You could tick off new entries in your fitness diary. By the end of the set if there’s an Olympic event for rock performance, Leeds probably saw a gold medal contender.

The rest of the band let the frontman handle most of the craziness but kept things tight and focused all night. Even with Bowman ramping up the mayhem, losing pieces of kit, or drenching the stage, it was the touring crew who held the gig together, always ready with quick fixes and keeping the music moving.

All this chaos was accompanied with an amazing lightshow, bathing the stage in colour against a simple black backdrop bearing The Pigeon Detectives logo.

The crowd was fully invested, showing off their pigeon masks, among the best gig merch you’ll see. Bowman offered to sign any bought from their website after the show, it’s no surprise the shop was showing sold out after his promise.

The setlist delivered every major hit. If Bowman ever needed a breather, the crowd filled in, singing bold and loud. The energy between band and fans never dropped. Bowman nailed his Leeds roots by welcoming not just the city but nearly every suburb, apart from the folks from Headingley, who might need a mention next time.