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The First Time - West Yorkshire Music People Talk About Stuff

Along with any number of brothers, sisters and various other associates William Sanderson's Le Tournoi impress with thoughtful and curiously amusing songs described by some as Modern Folk, others as Joy Division-esque and most as impressive.

The first record bought with your own money?

Embarrassing because its so cliche. I think it was Chesney Hawkes The One and Only from when Morrisons used to sell vinyl. It was that or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme.

Hmm... Just realised that was unlikely with my own money unless I was hustling from a very early age. I bought the first big Bluetones single on tape. It has the word "solution" in the chorus, a key indie word time at the time because it rhymed with "revolution". Oh boy.

The first gig

Rios in 2001 I think. We were a terrible/fantastic punk band called The Inspectors. It went okay I suppose, we didn't mess up our already pretty messed up songs.

I was probably nervous but I can't really remember to be honest. I struggle to remember feelings - wow, what an emotional statement.

However I'm really good at remembering what people say to me and I'm clearly quite proud of this fact.

The Inspectors are reforming for the next "Wollen Wig Out" at the Beehive later this year. Good heavens.

The first Le Tournoi gig went okay, though I was playing my electric which has an odd ability to sound like an elephant. For some reason I'm thinking of using this guitar again for our next gig, maybe I should rethink this.

Actually I remember how I felt after this gig: weird.

That's what happens when you play to a room mostly populated with friends, it's hard to grasp whether you sounded good or awful.

The first bit of fan mail

Does MySpace count? No, I don't think it should.

No ones ever sent me a written letter telling me how great a musician I am, mainly because I'm no Beethoven and sadly I don't hand my address out all that often. If I do wake up one day to find myself a great musical talent, I'll make sure I immediately start giving out business cards with my home address on them.

Le Tournoi are joining Laura Groves and fourteencorners supporting The Twilight Sad at The Love Apple in Bradford on the 9th of September, 2007.

fourteencorners, Le Tournoi at PM Bar, Shipley

William from Le Tournoi is not happy with his set. "It was awful", he intones afterwards, "It was not good."There is a aura in PM Bar in Shipley that seems to scream teenage birthday party. The split of the room, the way the age groups follow that, the smokeless air of a post July 2007 pub for a while one looks around for something to wrap up and give as a present in case the birthday girl arrives. She never does but a guy who looks a lot like Shakin' Stevens soulfully sits in the corner and leaves before the bands come on.

Le Tournoi will not be pleased with the set that starts with two muted bangs of a microphone and they struggle to project through the room. The family Sanderson are the curio of Bradford's music scene and are rough edged parts of jigsaws pushed together in a way that makes pleasing and often amusing shapes. The more powerful melodies of Christmas Eve sound excellent tonight but Some Murder Perhaps is lost in the balance as lyrical subtleties are lost.

William is not pleased and certainly Le Tournoi have less impact that when last they were seen but the lack of shine is easily and often a facet of the band and they are no worse for it. Most of these songs will be played better than they were tonight but the randomness is a part of the charm and there is much charm.

If fourteencorners do not have the charm of Le Tournoi - and some may successful argue they do - they make up for it with a technical excellent which sees their sound project throughout the room tonight. They effortlessly run through We Are Pathetic! We Are Stars! and pour passion into The Walk Home and if this gig is a warm up for the Piece Hall in Halifax this weekend then they are definitely warm.

I Like Trains, Falconetti, Worried About Satan, Laboratory Noise BD1 Live at St George's Hall, Bradford

There is something unsettling about the end of an evening of what is ill described as mood music night at BD1 Live at Bradford St George's Hall and when I Like Trains finish the set of swirling pulsing extracts from some dark movie you would watch with the curtains drawn there is appreciation rather than an explosion. Atmosphere and foreboding is the order of the day and all assembled are sunk into it.

Laboratory Noise open the second BD1 Live night and fill the stage with compass points of guitars and a bouncing Bass in the middle. The most melodic of the four bands on tonight they make the most of the venue with a rich sound that fills the room. At one point between songs they stop and take in the surroundings - the grand hall and all - and play on comfortably and seemingly at home.

As a band LabNoise improve with familiarity. The layer of early impenetrability pushed through they offer a warmth experience.

Colder and more spiky are Worried About Satan who in soundtrack terms are something that John Carpenter would use at the height of suspense and stretched over twenty minutes hurt the brain. Two guys, one computer and some guitars they are well received by some but mystifying to others. Mogwai are an easy comparison which would put Worried About Satan into the category of post-rock and perhaps I'm dragging my knuckles but I'm still in rock.

Much is expected of Theme to German Spy Thrillers Falconetti who build a rhythm impressively but are on too briefly as they build the swirl around the room commanding an audience that sport more than the usual amount of facial hair, nodding rather than moving, appreciation rather than enjoyment. Everything is very grown up or at least post-teenage angst.

Falconetti's set goes high but ends up short and another ten minutes would not have gone amiss. They are replaced on stage rapidly by I Like Trains who add the Leeds slick to the night pitching just past Tindersticks and onto rougher ground. They are dour but it is a dour that fits the mood with Dave Martin's notes to audience hint at a maturity of the band appreciated by aficionados. They do what they do well and finish the night pushing all assembled out in the darkened streets of Bradford with a heighten sense of paranoia. I Like Trains are the sound of a strange lurking around the corner. They are an atmosphere more than an album, a dark mood but not a bad one.