Reviewed on 11th February 2012.

Canterbury

Live at Cockpit on Sunday, 5th February 2012

We're driven up the walls, by peace and quiet...

In honesty, Canterbury couldn't be any more on the dot. I leave Leeds Cockpit with a growing fear of tinnitus, yet, I couldn't really care less. The Canterbury boys have been touring the country for the last couple of weeks and are coming to the end of their first headline tour in over a year.

Providing a solid opening to the evening is Wakefield based band More Than You'll Ever Know. They certainly get the audience (which is mainly dominated by 16-year-old screaming girls) warmed up after the treacherous weather the previous night. To me, MTYEK supply the soundtrack to the perfect summer, it's quite hard to dislike. Their riffs in Hold You Back and Shapes and Colours are simply huge. Along with some top vocals from Rob Barraclough, the band certainly has some great potential.

Second of four tonight are Proxies. I'm usually the person that hates a four band bill just as anyone else, waiting for the headline act. But on this occasion, it's excused. Proxies are a rock band infused with some heavy dubstep, infectious harmonies, and a lot of bass. They open with their recently released 'If I Had A Penny To My Name', which features Sean Smith (The Blackout), and provoke a riot, but obviously with less looting. In honesty, they're relatively new to the music scene, and they just look to be enjoying their success. Support slots with Hadouken! , Patrick Stump and Kids in Glass Houses, they are not to be taken lightly. Their final song, 'This Is Not A Game But We Will Have A Winner', really is massive. The drop in the song is so huge, The Cockpit crowd are bouncing and the bass from the speakers is unreal. Definitely a great choice of support, party vibes and tease the crowd before the top attraction.

Straight Lines emerge onto stage at around 9PM. For a few members of the audience, it's definitely past their bedtimes. Nonetheless, Straight Lines have been around on the scene for years. Forming from the late and great Said Mike, they seem to have revitalised the sound of their show. They appear much tighter, much more focused and professional. 'Freaks Like Us' which was released as a free download a few weeks back, is a corker of a tune, and really kick starts their set. 'Antics' and 'Say it for your sake' really do show why the band are signed to Xtra Mile Recordings and that the future can only look bright for Straight Lines, with their second album due in April. Intense riffs, massive drums, and a whole lot of pride in what they're doing. You can only hope people get behind this very promising Welsh rock band.

With Canterbury left, this night only gets better. They take to the stage and blast straight into 'Peace and Quiet' from debut album, 'Thank You'. The audience are slow to react to their appearance and take a few songs to get warmed up. This tour is about syncing themselves back into the live scene. With almost a year out of headline shows they're bound to be pumped. It's a great opportunity for them to play some new songs to the fans of Leeds. They debut 'Heavy in the Day' which is likely to appear on album 2. I loved it. It sounded like an absolute rock anthem. It showed a much more mature side to the Canterbury lads, and the time off and writing has paid off. I can only hope that they continue to develop into a success story. The fact they are unsigned is totally ridiculous. Crowd favourites from 'Thank You' such as Diver and 11, 12 are thrown to the crowd, and are nibbled on like bait to a fish. Newest single, 'Ready Yet' sounds incredibly grungey, yet works a treat live. Again, you can tell Canterbury are taking things much more seriously. They insist that the days of an encore are over and let the crowd know there are only a few records left. Which just happen to be three of the biggest songs Canterbury own. 'Set You Right' being one of them, with a bass line that leads the whole song, and split harmonious vocals which just tickles the hairs on your arms. They finish with 'Friends? We're more like a gang' which just about sums up Canterbury. Four lads striving towards success, and they look easy at the thought of the crowd going wild. Girls are flung aside, and it really is brutal. They seem genuinely touched at the response from the crowd and leave gracefully after a solid hours set. I would definitely keep an eye out for Canterbury.

To hear an exclusive interview with Canterbury, listen below:

Canterbury Interview. 5/2/2012 by Aaron Snowdon