Little old Wakefield doesn’t get many visitors, we’re known for The Cribs, Jane McDonald and Rhubarb but in August things just got exciting for the Merrie City. Tileyard North at the side of the Hepworth Gallery isn’t used to indie carnage, but on Friday 28 August it became the beating heart of the city, pulling over 2,000 people into its fairy-lit courtyard for a show that felt far bigger than the postcode it happened in.
The Twang were first up, swaggering onto the stage like they’d been playing Wakefield every weekend for the past decade. There’s something beautifully familiar about them—proper indie stalwarts who know exactly how to get a crowd moving without overthinking it. You On My Shoulders was a real highlight, with fans clambering to be lifted up by a loved one.
They’ve earned their reputation as indie legends but it was a joyous cover of Bran Van 3000s Drinkin in L.A. that really got the crowd hyped for the headline act. Overall, The Twang were a real solid support act for the evening, good songs and a nostalgic feel – a wholesome 45 minutes.
Strutting out to the Can‑Can, the Fratellis graced the Wakefield stage and immediately dropped into Henrietta. This run of shows has been a 20-year anniversary tour for their debut album Costello Music and the Wakey crowd couldn’t wait to hear all their favourites from the record. Third up came their cover of Baccara’s Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and my god did Wakefield boogie – what a choice for a cover song!
They tore through their set with the kind of confidence that comes from two decades of indie dominance. Whistle for the Choir was a standout, elevated by a glorious brass section. Flathead- still an absolute weapon twenty years on – sent the crowd bouncing like they’d been waiting two decades for this exact moment. And during Jeannie Nitro, they slipped in a cheeky Miserlou sample.. or a cover of Pump It by Black Eyed Peas if you’re terribly uncultured.
The only surprise was the lack of crowd interaction, but honestly, they didn’t need it. The music did the talking, and the crowd filled in the rest. It was polished, punchy, and exactly the kind of set that makes you forget you’re in Wakefield for a moment. There was only one way to close out the show, a double header of the anthemic song Chelsea Dagger and Runaround Sue (Dion cover) with the aforementioned song the highlight of the evening. Chelsea Dagger was the song everyone was waiting for, it is legendary and there wasn’t a single person in the courtyard not bouncing and singing along to it.
By the end of the night, Tileyard North felt transformed from the quaint little cosmopolitan spot just outside the centre of Wakefield, to a sweaty space full of overpriced IPAs and nostalgia. It was one of those shows that reminds you exactly why we keep dragging ourselves out to gigs even when our backs click every time we stand up, let’s hope this festival gets bigger each year as Wakefield proved it’s more than ready for nights like this.
