Gig review: Venus Grrrls at The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

On 29th July 2022, Grace Kelly, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Venus Grrrls, announced on Instagram that she had acute myeloid leukaemia, a blow which would have finished off many an up-and-coming young band.

However, in an emotional post in March 2023, Grace rang the bell to celebrate the end of her treatment and declared she was cancer free. So, their homecoming gig at the Brudenell Social Club was a triumph in every sense.

Describing themselves as being “born from Riot Girl… seeking to bring their gothic and ethereal influence to an international audience” they have received plaudits from the likes of 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Nels Hylton from Radio 1.

With new guitarist, Eliza Lee, joining the original line up of Grace, Hannah Barraclough (bass), Grace Stubbings (synth) and Gabby Cooke (drums), their fifty-minute set, beginning with new single Divine, in front of an packed, enthusiastic crowd, was filled with their bold, danceable songs – Liar, Liar, Hate Me, Hex and Aries. It ended with Lidocane and a plea from Grace to give blood and join the Stem Cell Register.

To cries of “One more song,” the band came back for an encore of Siouxsie and the Banshee’s “Spellbound,” seamlessly moving into “Goth Girl.” The audience were lapping it up and mingled with the ecstatic band in the Brudenell bar long after the show was over.

This reviewer, for one, can’t wait to see what Venus Grrrls do next!