Kids today (and I can say that as I’m confident I’m one of the oldest people in the room – it had to happen one day), I dunno, with all their newfangled trendy music... There’s one in a Muse T-shirt, another’s got Bowling for Soup. And how are they all so bloody tall? But one thing that’s admirable is their enthusiasm: there’s a substantial queue before doors, and there’s a buzz a good half an hour before even the support is due on.
Richard Carter’s look is rather hard to take seriously, with his hair a white small stellated dodecahedron. His music, a particularly energetic take on hip-hop however, is not, and while lively and brimming with hooks, it’s pretty serious, particularly the colossal beats and floor- shaking sub-bass. The Croydon-based bedroom artist is seemingly an unknown quantity to the majority of the crowd, myself included, but with some disarming banter and beefy tunes, wins them over immediately, and winds up a strong set in the middle of said crowd.
Returning to Leeds after 18 months, on what was his debut UK tour, Jhariah is now on the final leg of the immense touring cycle that he’s undertaken in support of fifth album, ‘Trust Ceremony’, and he seems especially pleased to be here. And while it’s perhaps only two-thirds full, it’s apparent he’s picked up some new fans in the intervening months, and that his career is on an upward trajectory.
Touring has been good for him and his band, too: they’re even tighter – and faster, and more frenetic – than the last time around, and a Hi-NRG opening with ‘TOOTH PACT’ gets the entire place pogoing within 20 seconds of his arrival on stage. ‘Jump! Jump! Jump!’ he hollers, and you bet they do.
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This is a guy and a band who give one hundred and ten percent every second of the set – which runs for almost an hour and forty minutes this time. His shirt is soaking just 4 songs in. In a set which – only naturally – is dominated by songs from ‘Trust Ceremony’, they throw in a cover of Paramore’s ‘Hard Times’ at the half hour mark, and drops a brand new song around two-thirds of the way through. It goes down a storm.
The band are polished, but they really crank up the dynamic of the studio versions on stage, the sax being particularly prominent and emphasising the jazz and ska elements of Jhariah’s distinctive crossover sound. I overheard someone describe it as ‘freak indie’ and that’s probably fair. Too weird and wide in scope for any conventional genre pigeonhole, Jhariah is likely destined to forever remain a cult act – but is one of those artists with a devoted fanbase who’ll stick with him. And with shows like this, rightly so.
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