The first thing that strikes you about Being 747’s show is not the fact that it’s a sit-down event, or that it’s a real festival audience – indie kids and tourists interspersed with grannies and particularly, parents with under-fives in tow – but that the 100+ capacity venue is rammed.
Sadly, it’s not that Leeds four-piece Being 747 have suddenly gone global. More that, this show is part of the Free Fringe.
This bargain aspect obviously appeals to hard-pressed and curious festival-goers as much as the legendarily thrifty locals. A free show can of course mean chat and constant to-ing and fro-ing, but Amoeba to Zebra, pretty much, has the crowd glued to their seats.
The show – which bizarrely, is deemed ‘educational’ enough to form part of a school curriculum in England – is an hour of high-octane indie rock which shows a new side to the band. Part of the Wrath records stable, the band were previously, just that – a decent enough act making decent enough records. Now, however, they have raised their game at just the right time.
Perhaps it’s the subject, or perhaps it’s the ‘concept’, but something has inspired them to make a brilliant album, full of massive hooks and towering choruses, and the fact that it’s packaged into this hour-long piece seems to have focused their energies into producing something which is perfect for a festival show.
In short, A-Z is a concept album based on evolution – where each of the 14 songs covers a period in the Earth’s history, from, well, then, and now. The pieces are linked by introductory, educational interludes, there’s video aplenty seeing us through the at-times tricky growth of our planet and species. And, a variety of rubber masks and creature heads for the protagonists to wear as they guide us all the way to 2010.
The band are taking their show around schools all the way through to exam season and beyond. But, judging by the reception from a crowd who stay all the way (perhaps, waiting to see how it ends?) they’ll be playing venues bigger than this one when they return to being a normal rock band again.