Jehnny Beth Battles Through a Tough Night at Leeds Boom [Photos]

Leeds venue Boom hosted Jehnny Beth for the kind of gig you should have been talking about for years, but it wasn’t, and there were several reasons why.

Before the show had even begun, some scumbag stole from the band’s merch stand, and later, another punter spilt his beer over the band’s equipment. Two acts of pure stupidity that impacted what should have been a perfect night in a small, sweat-soaked room built for exactly this kind of chaos.

Support came from Teesside’s Benefits, whose set was utterly captivating — a blast of abrasive industrial noise underscored by politically charged, mostly spoken (and often shouted) lyrics that commanded the room.

By contrast, when Jehnny Beth took the stage, there was a sense of reluctance. The energy felt off, the anger more petulant than punk, and the set was cut short due to the earlier beer-related technical issues, leaving the crowd understandably disappointed.

What we did get was still good. The sound was muscular and intense, and Beth threw herself around the stage, and into the crowd, with total abandon. But it never quite reached the anarchic, visceral peak it promised. Instead of a band and audience working as one, there was a noticeable disconnect, a feeling that something essential was missing.
So, three simple takeaways from the night:

Don’t steal from the merch stand – that’s not punk.


Don’t spill beer on the band’s gear – that’s not punk. 


And don’t act petulant on stage – because that’s not punk either.

All told, this felt like a rare off-night: flashes of brilliance but ultimately falling well short of what it could – and should – have been.