London based band Formation recently released their
rollicking, superb debut record ‘Look at the Powerful People’. I am a big fan
of the record and can comfortably say it’s one of my favourite records of the
year so far. Naturally I was very excited to see the Formation boys play these
tracks and experience them in a live setting. Unsurprisingly, the band smashed
it out of the park at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds delivering a plethora
of danceable tunes and good vibes for everybody in attendance. Also there was a
healthy dose of cowbell, which is always a good thing.
The band played a set lasting around 50 minutes. I would
have been comfortable seeing them go on for upwards of 90 minutes and
incorporate some of their deep cuts into the set but I’m sure that will come
with more success for the band and with more records. As of now the 50 minutes
worked well and not a moment was spared. Every song had its place and there was
nice mix of slower, more emotive tracks and the straight up dance anthems. The
band were booked into the smaller Games Room of the venue but they filled it
with their huge, eclectic sound and I could see people peering in through the
curtain to see what all the fuss was about. Formation had clearly piqued some
people’s interests, and rightly so.
There was an infectious energy permeating the air in the
Brudenell Games Room throughout the set. Most of this can be attributed to
frontman Will Ritson, he moved effortlessly around the stage whilst belting out
massive choruses. He wasn’t shy to leave his perch either. On a couple of
occasions he mounted Kai Akinde-Hummel’s bass drum and sang from there, much to
the delight of Kai and the rest of the band. Ritson also ventured into the
crowd, the first time to test the waters and the second time for a full on
dance party with the audience whilst delivering a bouncing cowbell solo during
the epic closer ‘Ring’. I was dancing with him and the rest of the crowd and
everybody had the widest, dumbest smiles on their face. That was my favourite
part of the gig, euphoria had engulfed the Games Room and everybody was loving
it. After the outrageously catchy ‘A Friend’, Ritson gave offered high-fives to
everybody who wanted one and it’s safe to say his hand ended up red raw after
that offer.
Whether they were serving up catchy choruses with groovy
rhythms on ‘Pleasure’ or slowing it down for a big sing-a-long on ‘Blood Red
Hand’, Formation took it all in stride and did everything with a deft touch for
entertaining the crowd. The band came out after the gig was finished to an
incredibly warm reception from those in attendance. I chatted to them and I was
very pleased to see that they were a bunch of lovely, humble lads who just have
fun playing music with each other. I’m proud to say I’ve supported this band
from buying their record and seeing their show and wish Will, Kai, Matt, Sasha,
and Jonny big success in the future because they thoroughly deserve it. I for
one can’t wait for the sophomore record tour and most of all, more ludicrously
good cowbell solos.