Gig Review: Graham Coxon and The Morning Parade at The Cockpit Leeds | TQS Mag

Graham Coxon is a legend. And when a legend comes to Leeds, it’s like Christmas has come early! I obviously miss Blur but Coxon also has some pretty good songs.

That night in The Cockpit, two supports were planned. First, Circles, a band from Leeds take the stage. I missed the beginning but I already saw them twice this year and their songs are really good indie rock anthems. Listen to In Flight if you don’t trust me! Then it’s up for Morning Parade, for whom I can’t say the same unfortunately. Their songs are radio-friendly and boring. All made with the same recipe: pop-rock with no surprise. After listening to one you already know what the rest are going to be like. 30 minutes of them is long enough. Technically they did a good job though, they know how to play but their music is just not for me at all. Too nice.

Finally, Coxon arrives. Things  start well and it’s great to see him on stage again. However, he doesn’t seem to be into it. He just plays his songs, one after another with almost no break (apart from when he retunes his guitar which seemed to happen a lot that night). But it is good music so why complain! I complain when the show stops not even an hour after starting. Everybody hopes for his return on stage for an encore and at some point we really thought he would come back. Who doesn’t do an encore these days? It’s tradition! But when the roadies start unplugging everything and the lights are switched back on, we have to face the truth. It’s over. Already!

What a disappointment. Yes Coxon is a legend. But it’s not enough to save the night. There were so many songs he could have played or he could have at least seemed to enjoy himself on stage and be here with the public. What a shame.

Words by Elise

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