The Pigeon Detectives hail from Rothwell in Leeds, and for a five piece band they make one hell of a sound. Plenty of fans piled in to the academy to see if the gang of Northerners can pull it off live. The band swaggers onstage in a flurry of smoke and light like they own the place, their mischievous attitude impressing the crowd. The set kicks off in a rip-roaring, gloriously catchy, typical indie pop fashion, playing one of their best and most popular song I Found Out, it’s a confident opener to the show and the crowd sing back all the rage lyrics, “Going out with, going out with!.” It’s not long before lead singer Matt Bowman engages in cocky banter to the crowd, ordering them to dance like there’s no tomorrow, and the fans do exactly that.

Next the pigeons fly into Everybody Wants Me, the crowd’s favourite. Suddenly there’s a sea of waving hands and dancing bodies, currently the band can do no wrong. The sound is full, the energy high and Bowman works both the stage and the audience with the kind of arrogant swagger only a rock star can get away with.

Encore I’m Not Sorry was without doubt the best song of the night, it’s a lust filled, bouncy track, fuelled by bad behaviour, nights out and chasing girls. The Pigeon Detectives undoubtedly have an edgy Northern charm about them and there’s no denying it they’re a rollercoaster of lyrical wit.

By Sophie Stratford