Sheffield rockers Little Man Tate performed to a packed crowd with two sold out reunion shows at the Sheffield O2 Academy, the same venue that they played their last show, 12 years earlier.
Words: Scott Antcliffe
After a 12-year hiatus, indie music icons, Little Man Tate performed two superb sell-out shows at Sheffield’s 02 Academy, to the delight of the 4,200 revellers who packed out the city-centre venue.
Little Man Tate front man Jon Windle. Photo: Scott Antcliffe
The Sheffield four piece had only intended to play just one gig (originally planned for Friday 18 September 2020) but such was the demand for tickets, the venue asked them to play an extra night.
There were four great support acts over the two nights, including Haig, a band from Blackburn, who performed a great set, with superb single Never Enough attracting rave reviews, and three local bands: Risky Heroes, Harry Lyon (formerly of Red Faces) and Small Print, a brilliant Sheffield five piece, whose single ‘More Than Friends’ looks set to be a hit thanks to its catchy lyrics.
Photo: Scott Antcliffe
Frontman Jon Windle led the lads out on stage to a rousing reception from joyous fans clamouring for a live music fix – the first in the last 19 months for many, myself included.
On the Friday evening, the crowd must have needed to quench their thirst as the venue recorded their fourth highest ever bar takings (behind Joe Carnall & friends and the Everly Pregnant Brothers- twice!) demonstrating that Yorkshire folk truly like a party when cheering on their own.
The band opened up with the classic Man I Hate Your Band, swiftly followed by European Lover, a sure-fire way to inject an instant nostalgic boost into the vociferous crowd.
Photo: Scott Antcliffe
Other crowd pleasers included; This Must Be Love, The Agent, Sexy in Latin and a new song, Cheap Stolen Kisses, potentially signalling a sign of things to come with more singles on the way after the band had recently been back in the recording studios with Sheffield producer Alan Smyth, who previously produced their early demos as well as their second album, Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy.
A four-song encore featured an intimate rendition of You & Me, with Windle climbing the photography pit to interact with the crowd. The lads well and truly finished on a high with classic anthem House Party at Boothy’s lifting the roof off the O2, ensuring a memorable night for all in.
