Pedro The Lion | Lakes
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
September 18th 2024
Pedro The Lion bring the Santa Cruz tour to a close at the iconic Brudenell Social Club. Andy Brown shares his thoughts on the band’s emotive set of indie rock.
If I shut my eye’s I can still remember my introduction to cult indie rock band, Pedro The Lion. A friend had put together some of his favourite tracks on a MiniDisc. As a teenager, I laid on my bed and listened to songs from The Only Reason I Feel Secure and Winners Never Quit. A calm, reassuring melancholy filled the room and I knew I was listening to something special.
Centred around songwriter David Bazan, the Seattle-based band have released seven full length albums and numerous EPs since the late nineties. They unveiled their latest LP – Santa Cruz – earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, a special edition MiniDisc is not expected. I’ve let some of these releases slip under my radar so I’m really looking forward to catching up with Bazan and Co tonight at the ever-wonderful Brudenell Social Club.
Lakes have been out on tour with Pedro The Lion and it’s a pairing that makes perfect sense the moment the band starts up. A synthy drone blends into the catchy, big-hearted indie of Geneva from their 2019 LP, The Constance. The band are from the UK yet are clearly enamoured by a particular strand of nineties US indie. Melodic songs delivered with guitars, drums, synth and a side order of glockenspiel. You can certainly hear Bazan’s influence in that undeniably melancholic undercurrent.
Suffice to say, Lakes’ set really hits the indie rock sweet spot. They leave us smiling as their last song seamlessly transforms into an unexpected cover of an Alanis Morissette classic. Ironic? Nah, this is heart-on-sleeve glock rock, straight from the heart of Watford.
Pedro The Lion tell the expectant Brudenell faithful to expect a lot of songs, not much talking and a little bit of grinning. The trio deliver on this promise in spades. The Seattle-based band currently consists of Erik Walters (guitar, backing vocals), Rebecca Cole (keyboard, backing vocals) and songwriter David Bazan (drums, vocals). There really aren’t enough singers who drum and I certainly can’t think of any that deliver this kind of emotion from behind the kit. Bazan’s drums and voice pulse through the set like a heartbeat.
They open with the synthy slowcore of It’ll All Work Out and I’m floored. Swallowed whole by waves of sadness and hope. The title track from Santa Cruz comes next, peppered with tiny details from the singers first day of eighth grade. Childhood memories come flooding through these songs; raw and personal like pages torn from a teenage diary.
Amongst others, the set features material from the band’s last three albums. An autobiographical trio that sees Bazan relive the troubles and triumphs of his youth. Of course, he’s always had a knack for putting the tiniest, most intimate details into his songs and making them sing. Whether it’s discovering an instrument (First Drum Set) or working as a vacuum cleaner salesman (Modesto), Bazan is able to weave a detailed narrative into these emotive indie rock gems. As an aside, the latter has to be the most beautiful song to use the word “baloney”. I find myself involuntarily swaying along to the sound: thoroughly engrossed in the music and the storytelling. I’ve seen a lot of great bands this year but nothing has moved me quite like Pedro The Lion.
Bazan has been using synths for a long time now – check out 2017’s solo album, Care – and those electronic textures blend effortlessly with the outfit’s slowcore, indie rock stylings. The brilliant Don’t Cry Now is essentially Pedro goes electro-pop. Every song feels like it’s practically bursting at the seams with emotion. I swear I almost levitate during Making The Most Of It while Bands With Managers is nothing short of heavenly. Big Trucks is a little quicker than its recorded counterpart and an absolute joy to hear.
The night comes to a close with a mini solo set from Bazan, stepping out from behind his beloved drumkit and strapping on a guitar. A stripped-back Permanent Record sounds like a great lost folk song while Yellow Bike sees the singer find innocence, comfort and hope in the past. Bazan’s songs reach places others don’t even get close to: his voice just cuts me to the core.
I knew there was a slim chance I might hear it but I’m still utterly spellbound when he plays an intimate, solo rendition of Criticism As Inspiration. I’m suddenly transported back to that teenage bedroom, flat on my back and lost in every note. What can I possibly say? Wow. Earlier in the night, Bazan talked about the perils of doing music as a job as it’s hard to keep the feeling alive. Honestly, if tonight had been any more emotional I’d be a wreck.
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Lakes can be found on found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/ X and Bandcamp.
Pedro The Lion can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/ X and Bandcamp.
All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.
Photo by Chona Kasinger from a Pedro The Lion gig at The Atlantis in Washington DC. Find Kasinger’s photography here.
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