If you’ve never caught a Drella gig, it’s basically a supercharged display of punk-rock fun. The bouncy Bradford-based band are known for their feisty political commentary laced into punchy, riffy tunes, but I know them as one of the most supportive and hard-working outfits around. So their shows are always enjoyable.

They were there at The Key Club in Leeds this October to open for DZ Deathrays*, which served as a welcome addition to the mini-tour the three-piece is currently on. Having played in Manchester and Sheffield lately, Drella were poised and ready to take on a crowd in a particularly well-known city.

Things kicked off with ‘Guillotine’, a wildly pacy piece that puts up a middle finger (each) at the former Tory government. It warmed the place up quickly and set the tone for what was to come. ‘Nothing To Lose’, which has understandably garnered over 14,000 streams, was another high-energy belter to rile up the bodies in the room. And the recently dropped, almost dancey number, ‘All The Same’, fuelled that need to really bop along.

Although Drella make no bones about being a band that make unapologetic political jibes and sneers, their satire goes beyond the distaste for this country’s poor policies. For the first time in Leeds, we heard ‘Wine Drunk at Dinner’, a new song that merrily navigates booze-infused uncomfortable conversations over a meal. It was witty and clever — something Drella know just how to pull off. And the same could be said for the reality-TV-sneering tune that followed. 

‘Who Am I?’ crossed themes of empowerment, all before the devastatingly heavy ‘Divide’ rounded their set to a close. Although they’d never played The Key Club before, they sure looked like they belonged there. 

*With thanks to the band for the entry.