A city where greats such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Metallica played decades ago, Bradford is no stranger to rock outfits. But now, thanks to the cultural resurgence it’s undergoing, its gig calendar is not to be overlooked in 2025 either.

On a sweaty, June Saturday night, rising local rockers Wolforna, Mischief and Hogleg all took to The Underground’s well-lit stage for ‘The Big Wolforna Show’. And big it was…

Hogleg opened the event, with walk-on music, a tonne of scuzzy feedback, and such a swagger for a band performing live for the first time. They instantly served the right post-apocalyptic feels — with the black, industrial-esque attire to boot — to be supporting the ‘Tales of the Damned’ creators, Wolforna. And they were as sharp and tight as expected.

An impeccably shreddy three-piece, Hogleg’s amps were turned up to an ear-blistering level. That really suited their all-instrumental MO, topped off by a wall of impenetrable, low-rumbling bass. Before we knew it, they’d chugged their set away flawlessly, offering a massive, meaty start to proceedings; aptly embodying the gnawing of a roasted hog’s leg. (And yes, that was their flag you spied on the Glastonbury highlights.)

The most hotly tipped new rock act of the year in Bradford? It has to be Mischief. My main takeaway: how is it even possible to be that good at their age? But their youth is simply one of their USPs; their effortless talent is by far the most important. The strings to their bow, quite literally, include two guitarists (you might recognise Josiah on lead from a video on our Instagram at the weekend) as well as keys, to really elevate the sound.

Naturally, their rhythm section was solid on the night. And the other, perhaps even more obvious standout — and not just because I’m female and it’s fantastic to see such talented representation — was their singer’s vocal range. Her spine-tingling, angelic tones served Evanescence-esque chills. And if you weren’t absorbed by their instrumental prowess alone, you certainly were after hearing the full ensemble. ‘I’m Alive’, their most popular to stream, gave pure goosebumps, and throughout, Mischief demonstrated that they’ve got face-melting solos down to pat. They also gifted us a preview of an unreleased song, all about voicing feelings of where to go next in your teens. 

So whatever you do, don’t sleep on this band! I’ll say it again: they may be young but that’s soon to be a fact that’s by the by. Mischief are about to remodel the face of rock music in West Yorkshire — and hopefully far, far beyond. 

The explosive Wolforna set began after two tough acts to follow, though they had plenty of tricks up their sleeve. With them came iterations of the costumes they wore at their sold-out Headrow House headliner back in November. But what was officially different was their line-up; they were on stage in their new formation, and ready to go. 

Somewhere between ‘What’s That In Old Money?’ and ‘Copium’, they went from fierce and menacing to absolutely on fire. As always, they’d cleverly interwoven plenty of transitional clips between tunes as well. And you know a band means business when the frontman pulls out his ponytail and has a L’Oréal moment. Worth it? Definitely.

They also gave the crowd a cheeky Mischief cover. Die-hard fans will have noticed that a couple of new singles due out later this year were teased; ‘Boneman’ and ‘Two Second Rule’, which featured another eye-watering solo from Josiah (mentioned above). And the newly dropped ‘Reset (Live)’ was even more live and untamed in The Underground. 

“We’ve been Wolforna, you’ve been excellent” — a line that’ll never grow old, and nor will the enjoyment of seeing them perform.

*With thanks to Wolforna for the usual press access.