After 11 festivals spread across 12 years, the last ever Long Division brought sweet sounds and zinging energy to the streets of Wakefield in 27-degree heat. What a day to hear the final curation of emerging and more well-known artists from Dean Freeman and the LD Team!

Even before the event began, 2023’s instalment had been pulled off very well logistically; participating venues were much closer than they had been previously, which meant it was more accessible and convenient for all attending. You wasted barely any time walking from A to B, so could maximise on the music. Sorted. After all, the original ethos behind the day-long festival was to enable rising-through-the-ranks bands and acts to play in front of keen ears, who are only too eager to bask in different genres. 

Unity Hall, split into its Major and Minor rooms, was the first port of call for Record Weekly, where Spielmann was busy flooding the place with superb synths, fabulous vocal clarity and a much-appreciated Telecaster solo. His only command post-set was that the crowd “[got] sunburnt and day-drunk” in the hours to come amid the rest of the outfits’ gigs. Then, a little further up the stairs, the melancholy, soft-folk vibes were courtesy of Braithe. With just a multiple-picked-string acoustic guitar to accompany his vocals, Harry played to a mixed-age audience punctuated by the occasional child’s wail, and recalled some songs from a period influenced by Iron & Wine, whereby only chorus-free material with about 20 verses was made.

The sort of unplugged order of things was then lifted by Sunflower Thieves at Venue23. The loud space was befitting of the large crowd that had come through, where Amy and Lily took to the stage with a full band. It’s the first time I’d seen them play with that setup, and it was a really welcome change brimming with added oomph.

One of the real pluses about Long Division is its unwavering knack to deliver a breadth of artists who perform in lots of different styles. So it was a joy to dial the tempo back down at Lobby 1867, where the almost country-esque vocal tones of solo singer-songwriter Marnie Glum were on offer. Her soft, gentle acoustic guitar was paired with her naturally angelic voice. It was folk-pop at its finest, gifted to a captive audience of cocktail sippers. There was even a token “cheeky changeover” to a Stratocaster. 

Of all the acts who were especially dominant, it was Opus Kink. While I’d seen them at Belgrave’s Dark Arts event in Leeds back in October, I was all too buzzing to catch them again. Between the six of them, their excellent utilisation of trumpet, saxophone, bass, keys, guitars and a mix of vocals with drums backing it all was just cracking. The crowd was lapping up the medley of funk, soul, jazz, ska and rock sensibilities, while these purveyors of good vibes brought a frenzy to the room via a casually cool attitude. Boogying? It wasn’t up for negotiation.

Talk about a contrast: at Theatre Royal, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly had a seated audience eating out of the palm of their hand, as one of the household names on the billing. Humble, mellow and just totally talented, you could instantly identify why so many had turned out. Meanwhile, across the road, Birdseed.’s set was a low-key, top tonic for those seeking something stripped back and out of the sun’s rays. 

Green Gardens were one of the bands on RW’s list of must-sees, given that they’ve released some new tunes lately and also have plenty in the pipeline locally in Leeds. Dubbed ‘medieval Americana’ and ‘pastoral art-rock’ in the official programme, the four-piece were certainly widely anticipated before even beginning at Vortex. While it was the sweatiest of the venues by a mile, their alternative niche travelled well through the crowd. So their Brudenell show in August is bound to be a worthy one pencilled in the schedule. 

But that was far from it for acts people had been expecting huge sounds from; bdrmm had more than just a good to groove to their blueprint of guitars. Although they remained enjoyably electronic in parts, there were some seriously meaty riffs tumbled together with transcendent vocals and thudding drums. They understood exactly how to dazzle with prog rock stylistics through minimal singing and absorbing, drawn-out transitions. No wonder they’re going places!

Long Division, I’ll be sad to see you leaving a hole in my calendar hereafter…

With thanks to Hanglands for the press invite.