Bridewell Taxis
By Luke RossIt's official. The Bridewell Taxis are proving to be the hottest ticket in Leeds. After selling out their re-union gig at Joseph's Well in October in the space of 48 hours, tickets were again snapped up in double-quick time for their appearance at Pudsey's Bien Venue on Thursday December 8th. Pre-ordered sales were in three figures and tickets to see the re-formed band are like the proverbial gold dust.
"The interest has been unbelievable," concedes founder member Sean McElhone. "Even before we talked about playing live again, we had people e-mailing the website asking 'when are you gonna do it'. And it's never stopped since then. People who couldnt get tickets for the Well or Pudsey keep asking when we are playing next."
The Joseph's Well return was one of those must-see occasions in the city and, following a stunning visual show, five nervy looking Bridewells appeared on stage for the first time in 14 years. For Sean, vocalist Mick Roberts and drummer Glenn Scullion, it was nothing new. They were merely apprehensive about how the show would go.
For new members James and Jules Metcalfe it was the date of a lifetime. This was their first gig as fully-fledged members of the Bridewell Taxis.
Honesty opened the set and within moments the re-incarnation was almost complete. Bridewell Taxis were back. Give in, Just Good Friends, Hold On, Wild Boar, Invisible, Moving Fast, Spirit, Whole Damn Nation, they just kept on coming. The tunes were familiar, but amazingly up with the times. Glenn and Sean agree it was the best they've ever played, Jules and James were taken aback by the energy of the crowd, while Mick took it all in his stride.
"It was a brilliant night," he smiles. "There were people there who we hadn't seen for years and the only disappointing thing was that we didn't get to catch up with everyone."
Mick was also taken aback by the frenzied reaction of the crowd. He laughed: "There were people at the front singing along with every word and I just followed their lead!"
The Bridewell's original plan was for a one-off appearance, a trip down memory lane, a belated farewell or to complete some "unfinished business" as Glenn put it. But they walked away from the Well that night rejuvinated and hungry for more. A second date at Pudsey was announced and the band headed for the studio to work on a demo featuring a mix of new and old material. The band also hit the rehearsal rooms again to expand on their new material and develop and enhance their older stuff, and the Bridewells have been working pretty much non-stop for three months now.
"We're enjoying what we are doing," says Jules. "We've got a good mix of tunes and we're working on new stuff all the time." All the band agree that, while their sound has moved with the times, their ethos has remained the same. "I think people can relate to us," says Glenn. "We're ordinary lads. We don't try to be something we're not, and I think people like that about us. We enjoy what we do and we want people to enjoy our gigs and take something from the music."
"We might have been away, but there's people who remember us and there's a new generation who may have heard about us, but not seen us."
While the band have been working away quietly, they have enjoyed plenty of good publicity since re-forming. The Well show received rave reviews, the local media seized upon the band's return, and the word was well and truly out. Tickets for the Bien Venue show again disappeared in the space of a few days adding to the mystique of the band, and the Bridewells are now gearing up for their first appearance in Pudsey. Bien Venue, a nightclub on a weekend, will be transformed for the visit of the Bridewells and the band are determined to make it another memorable night. Yet, the Taxis won't be grinding to a halt for the year after the Pudsey show.
On Saturday December 10 they will attend the Leeds United game against Cardiff City as special guests of the club. They will be introduced to the crowd at half-time and fans will be given a sneak preview of their forthcoming DVD - Live at Joseph's Well.
"That's gonna be a dream come true for us all," says Glenn. "We're all massive Leeds fans and to appear on the pitch at Elland Road in front of 20,000 people will be unreal. It'll be the perfect end to the perfect year."
But it won't quite be the perfect end to the perfect year. The Bridewells still have one commitment remaining and that is a planned appearance at Leeds Uni on Wednesday December 21st. Originally scheduled for the following night, the gig was moved forward at short-notice, but the band are keen to emphasise that the night will have a Christmas Party feel. "It's our way of saying thanks to people for their support," adds James. "There's still a lot of people who haven't been able to get tickets so it's a chance for them to come down, and we'll have a good night."
After that it will be into 2006 for the band.
They have already confirmed a date at Fibbers in York (March 18) and are in the process of finalising a host of gigs that will include a London appearance and their biggest Leeds show since re-forming. The Bridewell Taxis certainly look to set enjoy a merry Christmas and, probably, a happy New Year.
