Adult DVD / Nightbus, The White Hotel. 9th May 2025

I’ve not been in the wonderful White Hotel for a while. It’s not changed, but that’s a good thing. One of the more exciting venues in the city to watch a band, it’s perfect for bands like Nightbus who’re supporting tonight. They sound like their name. An uplifting doom filled sound built around a drum machine and brooding base, over which vast echoing guitar lines meld with shimmering vocals. It’s haunting, a bit lonely, oddly homely, like a nightbus… granted it’s been a while since I was one one, but that’s the nostalgia that sweeps through my brain at the thought.  I grew up on this stuff though and you could say it’s dated, but this gothy shoegaze still lifts my soul. They’re from Manchester too which is nice. Despite the cleanliness of the drum machine cutting through the darkness (the White Hotel is always dark), they’re every bit the guitar band, layering them up with chilling effect. The tone twists through Sisters and Siouxsie to Massive Attack, all while keeping their foot firmly away from the gas pedal. Three on stage, all with guitars, there’s a simple purity to it. It’s purposeful, very atmospheric, even if the bloke behind me chatting to his mate doesn’t seem to think so. He’s missing out though, they’re a great live band and although only on for half an hour, they easily drawer me in.

Leeds synth punk outfit, Adult DVD, are something quite different. For a start there’s twice as many of them, as six cram on the tiny stage with a drum kit and several banks of electronics that are about to melt our brains. Not that it’s easy to see them all, as the fog machines are set loose. There’s a darkness still, that’s likely why I’m here, but they drive their set with a string of electro-fused bangers, also why I’m here. They’re like Yard Act dipped in LCD Soundsystem. The live drums and bass keep it anchored, but this is all about the sexy synths that squelch sleazily as the room fills and bodies bounce. Live they lean into an analogue naughtiness that doesn’t quite come through on record. It grabs you by the ears and metaphorically nails them to the amps until the speakers bleed down your throat and wrap themselves around your internal organs. That’s to say, they’re fucking catchy. We get treated to some new stuff, but then it’s all pretty new. ‘Doomsday Prepper’ stands out as a bit of a fan fave. It is phenomenal. Chaotic riffs battle with hardcore house synths, as shouts of the title are accompanied with fists raised in the air. ‘Dogs in the Sun’ keeps up the bonkers euphoria. The synth line builds, the drummer looks like he’s having blast keeping up and a lad down the front in a loud shirt looks like he’s having the time of his life. “Fucking brilliant!” someone shouts. He not wrong. They don’t have the same beauty as Nightbus’ sound, but they’re bloody good fun and ‘Because I Like It’ is fantastic. It’s a heady mix of dry ice and testosterone as the lights fire blue and red, like we’re in an emergency services rave. Stuff like ‘Do Something’ does have a tinge of 90s rave abandon. It’s the sound of escapism in bleak times, with cutting lyrics to get lost in. As well as some daft ones on ‘Bill Murray’ about his and Tom Hanks’ voice acting. Exciting and engaging stuff, the perfect start to the weekend and a joy to be back in this great venue.

Adult DVD

Nightbus