Review: Rockers show fans the way in Leeds

Their self-titled fourth release came out in February, and for a band that were on the periphery of the mid-noughties indie revival, it’s charming to see them stay faithful to their sing-a-long pop-rock anthems.

That was clearly how their fans at a typically bustling Brudenell Social Club in Leeds saw it too, because they were all in mighty good verse.

Ramshackle Australian trio the Dune Rats readied punters for the night’s rock onslaught with a foul-mouthed half-hour of bratty punk.

Then out came Hertfordshire heroes The Subways amid the fanfare of police sirens and Gustav Holst’s Jupiter before piling into an energetic We Don’t Need Money To Have A Good Time.

Singer and guitarist Billy Lunn might be a contender for rock’s friendliest frontman, and his genuine gratitude towards his fans is refreshing.

Rare is it for a rock band to perform a song like Mary, which Lunn wrote in tribute to his mum, and win some of the crowd’s loudest bellowing of the night.

Another heartwarming moment came when Lunn publically welcomed back drummer Josh Morgan after Aspergers Syndrome-related stage fright had kept him from performing with the band since mid-February.

The three-piece drew a fevered reaction with their biggest hit Rock and Roll Queen and managed to keep the audience raising their “beautiful Yorkshire hands,” as Lunn had it, throughout.

The Subways are in good health after a decade together and loving every minute, it seems.