Benefits: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – live review

Benefits | Straight Girl
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
26th November 2022

Andy Brown heads to the Brudenell Social Club to watch an angry, hopeful and highly pertinent set from Benefits.

I first saw Benefits here at the Brudenell Social Club just over a year ago. Following a batch of impressively indignant singles, I was lucky enough to witness the band’s first proper headline show. A sonic baptism of noise and fury that felt like a communal primal scream therapy session for anyone sick to the back teeth of Brexit Britain. Seething poetry delivered over walls of noise. Flash forward a year and the UK is still lost in the kind of dystopian nightmare that would make Charlie Brooker wince. All the while former Health Secretary Matt Hancock makes a bid to rebrand as a celebrity by arsing about in the jungle for a few weeks. We need Benefits more than ever.

“My name is Straight Girl and I’m not straight and I’m not a girl,” tonight’s opening act tells us before adding with a mischievous smile, “don’t call me a girl or I’ll kill you specifically”. From the get-go, Straight Girl (they/them) is an absolute force of nature. With a synth, a laptop, and heaps of energy, the Leeds-based artist is nigh-on unstoppable. It’s the kind of thing that wouldn’t sound out of place at a sweaty 3am rave in the heart of Berlin (although 8:30pm in Leeds suits me fine). The bombardment of electronica is accompanied by their ecstatic dancing and wild, pitch-shifted vocals. The whole performance bursts with anarchic energy and joie de vie.

After nine days out on the road supporting Benefits, the equipment succumbs to the dreaded curse of the faulty cable (and this isn’t a break out the acoustic guitar kind of gig). The music stutters and then stops. However, it’ll take more than a dodgy cable to stop Straight Girl. One short interlude later and they’re back with a vengeance. Channelling the spirit of Peaches, they deliver their very own sweary sermon before charging into the audience with a cathartic battle cry, “I want to fuck you up”. An intense serenade (of sorts) ensues, as they get up close and personal with the punters at the Brudenell. They’re not done yet either. A brand-new banger about the UK and that all too familiar, ever-present state of existential dread goes particularly hard. An exciting, angry and defiantly celebratory performance.

Like a disconcertingly angry Pokémon, Benefits have evolved. The addition of Cat Myers on drums has proved to be a significant shift in the band’s live dynamic, while tonight (for one night only) this role is fulfilled by none other than Neil ‘tubs of terror’ Cooper from Therapy. Last year drums were used sporadically, this year they’re like a raging fire in the engine room. Make no mistake, Benefits are taking everything to the next level. They start in suitably revolutionary style with a newly invigorated Marlboro Hundreds; a rallying call against the Little Britain mentality that finds vocalist Kingsley Hall emphatically imploring us to “reject hate” and reminding us, “you have worth/ you are unique”. It would be easy to misinterpret the band as something dark and doom-laden, yet for all the bile and rage, these songs are filled with hope and strength.

There’s a moment of silence, a brief chance to catch our breath before Hall launches into the a cappella opening to Empire. “Queens birthday. Come on England. No fuss. No problem” he spits with considerable disgust, before brothers Robbie and Hugh Major summon a sizable wall of abrasive, eyeball-rattling noise. I’ve said it before but this really is one of the most powerful singles I’ve ever heard, the kind of track that pins your ears back and screams directly into your soul. Bearing this in mind, it’s even more surprising when a revitalised Divide And Be Conquered cranks the tension up another few notches. Cooper provides a tightly wound, propulsive beat while Hall rides the rhythm like a man possessed. The recording (while still great) pales in comparison to the absolute beast unveiled tonight.

Now it’s time for the official Benefits football anthem (well, not really), the charmingly titled Shit Britain. Personally, I can’t see why FIFA wouldn’t jump at the chance. The track’s stripped-back electronica gives Cooper a little respite before they roll out the mighty Warhorse, a brand-new track that takes a surprising left turn into light-hearted jangle-pop…only kidding. It’s as satisfyingly confrontational as we’ve come to expect as Hall repeatedly shouts, “stop telling me to tighten my belt! / There’s nothing left to tighten!” This is the sound of Benefits baring their teeth and going straight for the jugular. “That’s the politics over and done with guys” jokes Hall afterward, “we can just enjoy the music now”.

By the time they play The Common Good, Hall is drenched head-to-toe in sweat, his eyes scrunched up, dancing and jerking to the music like it’s taken over every cell in his body. It’s easily the most passionate and committed performance I’ve seen in some time. The music is harsh and loud yet it never drowns Hall out – it’s important that we hear these words. “We can win this!” he passionately insists during the colossal Thump. “We deserve better than this!” he reminds us in the midst of the fierce Flag. These are affirmations and mantras to shout at the top of your lungs or quietly remind yourself of when you need them most.

Traitors has evolved into a sprawling, Godzilla-sized tirade. Sweet lord, it’s intense. A humongous wrecking ball decisively swung into the walls of the Brexitland flag factory. “Line up/ get a job/ no training required” spits Hall as the band bludgeons everything in its path. The performance is tight and brutal yet isn’t restricted by some formulaic, predictable structure. It lives, it breathes, and it spits fire in the face of every lie. It’s hard to describe just how powerful it all is, how cathartic it feels to stand in the crowd and let the song rumble through your bones. “We get the future you deserve!” growls Hall as somewhere in this green and putrid land the Little Englanders half-heartedly wave their blue passports and Crown-stamped pint glasses. Suffice to say, Benefits are unlikely to appear on GB News anytime soon.

In the spirit of Mötley Crüe and Gwar, Hall introduces the band before Hugh ‘Masterful’ Major returns the favour for Hall himself. It might start out as a joke but each member really does deserve to take a bow. With their Tommy Lee moment out of the way the band finish us off with an early single, the post-punk banger Taking Us Back. Benefits, on the other hand, are moving forwards. Tonight, they’ve given us their all. Every ounce of sweat and rage poured into each and every song.

Benefits are a black mirror, reflecting the anger and division in this bubbling cesspit of unrest we call home. Yet, it’s an anger filtered through empowerment, defiance and hope for the future. As the sound of Bon Jovi hums through the PA, you know we’re halfway there. We can win this.

Benefits are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Bandcamp.

Straight Girl is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Bandcamp.

~

Photos by Jim Mumby | Instagram.

All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.