Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes opened the Leeds O2 Academy stage on Bank Holiday weekend as part of Live at Leeds Festival, which saw around 200 musicians perform in various venues scattered around Leeds City Centre. Though perhaps more well known for his 90’s trademark sideburns, Coombes fronted alternative rock band Supergrass, who after 17 years together split up in 2010. Coombes has been a solo artist since the split and released his second album ‘Matador’ in January of this year, which debuted at number 18 in the official UK chart.
Coombes took to the stage on a rainy Saturday afternoon with the single ‘Buffalo’ from his latest album, which is slightly darker than the 2012 ‘Here come the Bombs’. Coombes went on to storm through a 45 minute set of tracks from both albums, though ever so slightly more new album heavy. The crowd were treated to four more tracks from his new album, including ‘The Girl Who Fell To Earth’ and ‘The English Ruse, as well as four tracks from his first album; ‘Hot Fruit’, ‘One of these Days’, ‘Sub Divider’ and the set closer ‘Break the Silence’. Coombes effortlessly switched between several guitars and his piano as well as working wonders with his effects pedals, especially during the exhilarating ’20/20′.
When you see an artist who was once a member of a successful band perform solo for the first time, there’s always the worry that they won’t meet your expectations. Gaz Coombes absolutely blew me away with a set that was intense, intriguing and exhilarating all at the same time. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t pick some new fans up after that unforgettable performance alone.
You can download ‘Matador’ from iTunes here.
You can purchase ‘Matador’ from Amazon here.
