I don’t think I’d been to an in-store performance at Jumbo Records (ahem, a Leeds institution, I might add) since The Amazons’ show back in 2022! Madness. That was until I was invited to review Westside Cowboy’s sold-out event*…

To promote their debut album, ‘It Goes On’ — which I discovered they recorded in Leeds and shot the cover artwork for in Armley — the band did a full play-through, plus treated us to a duo of old-fave belters from their back catalogue. ‘Can’t See’, by popular demand, even had its shaker sounds recreated through vocals. Nice. 

Such immaculate vibes were delivered for a Tuesday, and in a music buff’s paradise, no less. ‘Paperchains’, previously unreleased, was one of the first to be served up in the four-piece’s roll call. And, although they admitted early doors “[they hadn’t] quite ironed out all the creases [of tuning-up and transitions]”, as, while in the studio, they had “[more] people playing on the record”, their tongue-in-cheek chatter was charming. In all honesty, though, in spite of the jests, they genuinely sounded tight, sharp and polished. But there’s always wholesomeness in humility. 

Shoegazy, coming-of-age indie pop is their niche, with neat little guitar licks and dreamy vocal harmonies underpinning it all. Their sound felt even punchier live, mind you, as the stabbing, slicing drums came into their own, and each riff and solo emphasised their festival readiness. 

Cheery faces made up the crowd, and a mix of younger and older fans had turned out. Favourite tracks of mine naturally included ‘Well Done Kid, You Did It’ and ‘Pin Up Boys’, though ‘Worried Age’ and ‘Coyote’ (the latter complete with a shreddy breakdown) also went down a storm. Although I relished hearing every devilishly well-curated bop in live form, ‘You Could Have Died There On The Dancefloor’ has left the line “Please keep me around” looping in my head since, by way of parting gift.

*With thanks to Chuff Media for the press access.