Leeds: Play Patterns

Play Patterns is the most recent of the great live events that regularly crop up in musical hotbed that is Leeds, and the perfect excuse for Paul Faller to drag himself from rainy York and see some new bands.

My first port of call are Honour Before Glory - the solo project of ex-¡Forward Russia! member and city stalwart Whiskas. The man is all the two bands really have in common. Replacing Tom Woodhead-style vocal histrionics to be heard (even if there are soaring guitar sounds present throughout) with glorious widescreen soundscapes and choral vocals they're certainly a band to look out for, not one that's past their best.

Stripping things back a little, Fran Rogers impresses with her solo set-up, using a mixture of drum loops, samples, acoustic guitar and her beautiful voice to create a beguiling experience. As does Owen Brinley Richards, another person in possession of a wonderful voice, playing a few songs from his now sadly defunct band Grammatics including the absolutely gorgeous "Time Capsules And The Greater Truth". He also treats us to a blast from the past by playing acoustic renditions of a pair of Colour Of Fire songs ("The Exile" and "The Company Won't Colour Me", for anyone who remembers them) - it's like 2004 never happened.

Talons are loud as hell and make an engaging racket that sounds a bit like like Godspeed You! Black Emperor crossed with Battles, with some vicious heavy metal guitar riffs bolted on for good measure. Lone Wolf, on the other hand, presents a more stately but no less captivating proposition - playing tracks from his fantastic album The Devil And I, he raises the bar for today's live performances. "15 Letters" is quietly stunning, "Keep Your Eyes On The Road" is mesmerising, and set closer "The Devil And I (Part 2)" is a masterclass in bleak, menacing storytelling.

Leeds-based trio Cowtown are definitely one of the most entertaining bands on the bill today, mixing up wry banter, amusing lyrics, scattershot guitars and glitchy synths into one big, fun package. They're probably only surpassed in the 'fun' stakes by Birmingham's premier purveyors of noise-pop, Johnny Foreigner, who treat us to some new tracks from their forthcoming EP, including a noisier version of "With Who, Who And What I've Got". We also get a healthy dose of high-energy JoFo classics, from "Sometimes, In The Bullring", through "Salt, Peppa And Spinderalla' all the way to euphoric set-closer "The Coast Was Always Clear" - I can think of few better ways to end a fantastic day of live music.