LIVE REVIEW: Automatic @ Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds

Automatic are a post-punk band from LA, consisting of Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) and Halle Saxon (bass, vocals). I went along to the recent show at Belgrave Music Hall as part of the Lonely Hearts Club Valentine event on 14/2/20.

This was a free event and Automatic was the 3rd band of a 4 band line (Bad Bug, Bad Idea and PINS being the others). It must have been a difficult gig with viewers coming and going often throughout the set but Automatic drew a decent crowd. They could maybe have been a little more interactive with the crowd rather than automatic, if you pardon the pun.

The band's general sound is an effective mix of 80s New Wave and Riot Grrrl Punk. The songs have catchy synth led melodies punctuated with punchy drums, which give an almost robotic rhythm. Lola plays with aggression and precision and is often the most animated of the trio. This is contrasted by the other 2 members remaining almost static throughout. Lola’s classic Riot Grrl vocals are often complemented by either of the two other band members. But what, I feel, truly completes Automatic’s sound is the excellent work of bassist Halle Saxon. Her tone is percussive, yet works in the upper register, with a strong attack that gets toes tapping.

Overall the songs are generally fun and catchy but I did feel as if some tracks were over a bit too quickly, often ending just as I was getting into it. Having listened to and enjoyed Automatic on spotify their live performance will leave me seeking them out again if they’re in the area in the future.


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Tyler

Hey there! I'm Tyler, 19 and outside of writing for CRB I'm an SEO & CMS Executive at a car leasing company. Lot of boring web development stuff basically!

If you've taken a peek at my 5 songs for the month at any point you can probably guess my taste in media is all over the place, but if there's anything that's my favourite it's probably Star Trek. My favourite genre overall is probably New Wave but I listen to pretty much anything that gets thrown my way.

On a weekend you'll probably find me watching F1 and hopefully covering some more gigs in the near future, I've done some journalism stuff outside of CRB but most of my writing is creative work or last minute page content for a new car model. I'm based in Wakefield primarily but Leeds is only a train away when they're not striking. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Tame Impala - The Slow Rush