LIVE REVIEW & GALLERY: Fat Dog @ Jumbo Records, Leeds

In order to understand Fat Dog, you first have to become Fat Dog. I'm not sure that's true, but it sounded profound. What is true is that Fat Dog are a band with a lot to unpack. First, you need to tear up the rule book, disregard everything you thought you knew about genre boundaries, brace yourself, and then you're ready for the show.

I'll admit, I first saw Fat Dog last month supporting Yard Act at Millennium Square, and I wasn't keen. In fact, I found them hard work to watch, but that was probably because I was unfamiliar with them and had no idea what I was in for. Their blend of techno and punk is definitely an acquired taste. They're not a band you can see for the first time and feel like you've known them for years, like you might with more conventional sounds. It's off the wall and eccentric, demanding more investment than just rocking up to a gig and getting it.

When I got the chance to shoot and review their in-store show at Jumbo Records in Leeds, I was a bit reluctant. But the pull of wanting to shoot my first proper in-store show won me over. I gave their debut album, "WOOF.", a proper listen, and about two songs in, it clicked. The unconventionality and nonconformity started making sense. Out of nowhere, the dislike I’d formed at the Yard Act gig suddenly shifted into understanding. I hadn't expected that.

I went into the gig actually looking forward to giving the band another shot with my new perspective.

Jumbo Records is a delightful shop nestled in the heart of Leeds' bustling city centre, packed with racks of vinyl and CDs, full of new music waiting to be discovered. While it’s small, it doubles as a charming gig venue, with the stage tucked down the side, letting gig-goers crowd around the shop. A tip: if you're short like me, get there early, or you won’t see a thing!

At 6, the shop doors reopened, and the queue that stretched outside the Merrion shopping centre, past the Greggs on the corner, slowly filled the small shop. The place buzzed with anticipation and excitement. After a short wait, the band emerged. I was surprised to see a full setup with drums, synths—the works. My only other in-store gig back in Norwich had been a very muted, semi-acoustic affair, but that was during shopping hours, so I guess it had to be a bit more tame.

When they blasted into their set, it immediately felt more suited to the small, intimate space than the big Millennium Square stage. Their sound blends the rebellious DIY nature of punk with rapid-fire techno beats, and hypnotic, trance-like interludes. It’s a captivating mash-up of EDM and raucous, guitar-driven energy, erupting into explosive noise. Their set was packed with witty charm and a defiant spirit.

The driving beats and chaotic vocals filled the space with their anarchic yet playful deluge of wildfire. It’s like a fireball of sound, like someone’s thrown a bunch of genres into a blender, and Fat Dog is the intense, purified liquid that’s come out. The eccentricities, the robust bassline, the rampant drum beats, off-the-wall sax, jagged synths—it’s everything, all at once. Wrapped in a kind of nostalgic 80s vibe with post-rock textures and sensibilities.

They performed a short set, which I believe covered the whole of "WOOF.". They even squeezed in the dance break during ‘Wither,’ despite barely having enough room to move. The 7-minute ‘King of Slugs’ went down a treat, with its wave of psychedelic sound and comedic dialogue about a surreal encounter with a slug and its unexpected leadership.

Fat Dog are off-the-wall, crazy, erratic, eccentric, and their lyrics offer a humorous take on social commentary, as well as abstract, nonsensical postcards from the most colourful acid trip you could imagine. Their sound mixes everything from techno, trance, punk, and rock. It’s textured, confident, bold, dynamic, and completely their own. If you’ve ever heard Fat Dog and thought, "They’re not for me," give them another go. And if you still don’t get it, keep going until you do. There's a lot to unpack and decipher, but once you do, you’ll wonder why you ever doubted them.

Side note, how cute is the knitted slug someone in the audience gave them!