Mystery Jets // Live Review - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Mystery Jets haven’t’ toured in over eighteen months and spent a lot of the past year out in Texas recording songs that have formed the new album, “Radlands”. With the new album out on April 30^th the Eel Pie Island four-piece are taking back to the road playing a series of more intimate venues in the hope they can “play right in front of you and bring you the stories and sounds of the record as we intended them to be heard.” 



The band admit “it felt exciting to us to come back home and reacquaint ourselves with our fans face to face. [They wanted to play] the kinds of bars that [they] would go out to watch bands in Austin and felt like the same kind of places this record needed to be premiered at too.”

Blaine Harrison & William Rees

And with that comes the first night of the tour; Brudenell Social Club, Leeds; the backdrop emblazoned with the American flag. “Radlands” is scrawled across it and Blaine later admits his mum made it. The sold out crowd bustles inside the quirky venue, the sweltering mid-March heat anticipating the arrival of Mystery Jets on stage. The band mark their return, opening with new single “Someone Purer”. The audience is quick to respond and sing-a-long, a sure sign that despite their time away from the spotlight their fanbase have been eagerly awaiting their return. A typically Mystery Jets branded track, “Someone Purer”, builds slowly into a fervent, full chorus- typifying the band’s appeal and undeniable catchiness. “Young Love” and “Serotonin”, (more familiar Mystery Jets territory follow), and effortlessy slide into the set alongside newer offerings including new album track “You Had Me At Hello”. 

Mystery Jets on stage in Leeds

Blaine announces that this is “ a new era of the band” and introduces two newer members, Peter and Matt, on stage (they’re filling in while Kai takes time off with his new baby). New members or not, Mystery Jets prove that in the eighteen months since their last live set they have worked hard to return tighter and with a live up to everyone’s high expectation of them.

Mystery Jets

Now on album number four, “Radlands”, the first song on the record is effortless and enchanting, typifying the straight and pure indie-rock sound that Mystery Jets  harness so well. Blaine’s stripped back vocals on the verses perfectly build to a resounding chorus. At the Brudenell tonight the show seems more tame and reserved than past Mystery Jets gigs, perhaps the fans keen to take in the band’s new offerings. Crowd favourite tonight, “Flakes” closes their set and and spurs a last sing-a-long including a man with a broken leg crowd surfing, his crutches in tow!

Blaine Harrison

However, a Mystery Jets gig, (no matter how tame or wild it gets), wouldn’t be a Mystery Jets gig without the obligatory “Zoo Time, Zoo Time, Zoo Time” chant and pre-encore it came. The band listened and replied with an additional three songs culminating in “Behind The Bunhouse” from their 2008 offering “Twenty One”. Tonight, the band delivered on their desire of bringing the crowd the sound of their records, in particular “Radlands”, how they intended them to be heard; nothing more could have been asked for. Mystery Jets are back; as infectious and quirky as ever and tonight proved a unique chance to see them take to the stage at such a small venue.  

Pre-order the new album, "Radlands" HERE

Catch the Mystery Jets on tour

Carlisle Brickyard (March 30)
Newcastle Cluny (April 1)
Hull Fruit (3)
Birmingham Rainbow (4)
Cardiff The Gate (11)
Norwich Arts Centre (12)
Nottingham Bodega (14)
Stoke Sugarmill (15)
Sheffield Queen's Social Club (16)
Oxford Bullingdon (18)
Tunbridge Wells Forum (19)
Cambridge Junction (20)
Bath Moles (21)
O2 Academy Brixton (May 18)