Live
Himalayas
Royal Park Cellars, Leeds
November 16 2019
Words/Pictures: Paul Cartwright
It's been a couple of years since Little Indie last viewed Welsh upstarts Himalayas in Leeds. So seeing as they were to be gracing the city with their presence this time round on their current UK tour, we decided to go deep down underground to the Royal Park pub's Cellars venue to catch up with the quartet again.
It is good to see that they have lost none of their edgy punk-indie rock fierceness, as demonstrated by an admirable stage presence and more than a barrel full of ferociously delivered songs.
They kick off as they mean to go on with 'Again, followed by crowd please ‘Sigh On A Hurricane’, which really starts to get the crowd moving as its rhythm and pace bounces off of the walls, and the already inebriated join in with those in a more alert state to sing out the lyrics. Frontman Mike Griffiths and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Joe Williams keep it lively with their
interaction, both between themselves and with the punters.
‘Somebody Else’ still rouses the aural buds with its steady back beat and rasped out vocals, while the crunching riffs and raunchy bass of last year's single ‘If I Tell You’ grab the onside crowd and make this song sound massive.
Back to 2016 with the first track they ever released, ‘Cheap Thrills’, and one for the die-hard fans that this band has picked up, as again the vigorous guitar and melodic drums drive home the punk-esque vocals. Latest single ‘The Masquerade’ might have only been out a month, but it proves a highlight of this set. The band have described this song as being indicative of how their sound has 'matured’, and it shows in its polished, refined workings.
2017 single ‘Thank God I’m Not You’, is another set standout, with Griffiths pulling out plenty of top-scoring riffs, before ending on a high with ‘Heaven Knows’. You certainly get your money's worth with these Cardiff lads. A fast and energy-packed set to keep the crowd happy and fully into it.
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