We see things they'll never see
The North - Coming of Age
We review the EP ‘Coming of Age’ from Leeds band The North.
Image Credit: Alan Wells
Leeds’ The North released their latest EP ‘Coming of Age’ at the start of May.
Here’s our track-by-track review:
Can’t Sleep
Ecstatic licks cleansing the soul as wave upon wave of youthful exuberance washes over you.
Frontman Billy Memphis unleashes a vocal drawl for the masses to worship once again. Effortlessly cool and snarling, he crashes into the chorus of “I love you / I know you love me to” with the reckless abandon that only youth can muster. Isolated and muddied in thought, the protagonist's sleep-deprived state spews out an isolated and broken soul that everyone will root for.
The desperation Memphis imparts to be free of his in-between phase, to have arrived, to not have doubts, is gloriously angst-ridden.
Is this ever gonna end?
Or is coming of age dead?
Coming of Age
Every generation needs a voice. The North is this one!
Lost, defiant, desperate, hopeless, angry, but all the while hopeful. The North have threatened greatness from their debut single ‘Soundtrack Your Soul’, and here it is fully formed.
Distorted guitars, Julian Casablancas' vocals (before the failed autotune experiments), boisterous riffs, and a Dookie sense of abandonment are wrapped in this euphoric journey to nowhere.
Eyelashes
Trying to find the perfect band is impossible. Right? When The North blend the infectious indie rock n roll of The Ks with the abrasive punk rock of Idlewild, well, you must give serious consideration to the fact that you might have found it.
Tubes
For the first time, the band allow for space to breathe. Bigger landscapes just mean vaster dreams for The North. There‘s nothing they can’t do and do it better than everyone else!
The North: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival
We review Leeds band The North's debut festival slot at Truck Festival for This Feeling.
Leeds outfit The North burst onto the scene in January in our New Band Spotlight and then straight onto John Kennedy’s Xposure show on Radio X. It felt fitting that radio icon Kennedy would introduce them for their debut festival slot at Truck Festival in the This Feeling tent.
*banner image credit: Alan Wells
It may be seven months later, but that fiery momentum at the start of 2025 was burning bright still. Wave upon wave of teenage angst and indie-punk rock was unfurled upon a packed tent.
Image Credit: Alan Wells
In an era of post-punk excess, it felt natural that what would come next would be a melodic rock ‘n’ roll band as the antithesis. However, through gritty licks, snarling vocals, and a furious yet melodic rhythm section, The North realigned post-punk to its biting best.
On ‘She’, they tapped into the more eloquent moments of Bloc Party’s debut. As they chased victory and caressed dreams with their angelic licks, they came of age and took a generation with them.
On ‘Soundtrack Your Soul’ they can march into any festival and light it up with an instant classic. On record, it’s divine. Live, it was an enthralling joyride of teenage hope destined to overspill and save souls!
It may have been their first ever festival, but The North proved they are the real deal!
Image Credit: Alan Wells
The North – Trainspotting
We review the single ‘Trainspotting’ by Leeds band The North.
Leeds outfit The North recently released ‘Trainspotting’, the last single from their upcoming debut EP.
It’s been seven months since they released their scene-shifting debut single ‘Soundtrack Your Soul’. It seems fitting that they open this with a grunge-tinged vocal howl of “nostalgia”, leading to climatic roars of “soundtrack your soul” in the close.
Memphis and lead guitarist Kobi Griggs’ guitars tonally tap into the poignancy of early Coldplay and the forlorn joyfulness of Electric Soft Parade. These, alongside introspective lyrics, could easily have allowed classic indie morbidity to unfurl. However, buoyancy and directness at play have the hallmarks of a great coming-of-age story.
The guitars punch with a knowingness that it’s now or never. Where ‘How Soon Is Now?’ swelled with angst and failure, ‘Trainspotting’ balloons with hope and promise of what is yet to come. Lyrically, Memphis tempers this with the protagonist searching for their place in the world a la Egg in This Life:
“nothing you can do boy / feels slightly blue ‘cos / you can’t go back in time”
The North’s debut EP ‘Blood Orange’ is out now and is not to be missed.
The North – Blood Orange
We review the new single from Leeds band The North.
Leeds four-piece The North are back with their new single ‘Blood Orange’.
Soundtrack Your Soul put 2025 on notice with its electrifying guitars and raucous attitude. ‘Blood Orange’ is the antithesis of this. It is measured, downbeat, but no less evocative. At the heart of this creative expansion is Billy Memphis’ vocal. He pivots from Kele Okereke’s hushed indie soul to the early laconic drawl of Jonny Borrell, allowing the agonising confusion of the lyrics to swell.
Memphis’ guitars overlap each other with a masterful precision. As he sings, “I go round and round and round...” his licks howl in every direction, searching for a way out of the mental torture they emanated from.
Memphis and Co have displayed songwriting ability way beyond their years here. Two singles deep and they’ve shown they cut loose and turn inwards. The future is bright; the future is blood orange.