Friday 12th April saw the return of B12 Entertainment’s The Gathering at Belgrave Music Hall. While having a modest crowd to play to, all five bands preformed amazingly well with the space provided, as the second Leeds instalment of the revered Scottish event took place.

The first act, Bradford’s Red Shakes, had a massive stage presence and their frontman, Sam, wanted to get the bodies in the room involved, by hopping off stage and facing us. He had a huge amount of charisma and, with the help of his band, they put on very energetic warm-up for the rest of the performances.

Sunbeam then burst on, with more of a country-rock sound — their songs had immense meaning about rough times in life, affection and so on. Despite not having a drummer, the group gave a really warm sense, and they demonstrated this nice instrumental equality, as they all stood in a line.

It was all ‘90s/early 2000s rock vibes from The North. And not just through their tunes, but how they interacted; jumping around the stage as their bass-fuelled songs blared. The energy re-emerged and the crowd was drawn closer to the stage again.

Then, a full rock aesthetic was delivered by Counting 7s, with the guitar, in typical form, being the most dominant instrument. There were meaty solos, and three of four members utilised strings. Given they were the penultimate name on the line-up, it was an immersive experience — right before another Bradford export, Casino Havana, rounded off the night. Chunky riffs, piercing vocals and super-tight drumming were all served up. That was The Gathering once again signed off.

Guest gig review contributed by Matilda Fiorini