W.H. Lung have steadily become one of the most sought-after festival acts in the UK playing Latitude, Watching Trees and Wilderness already this summer, with Green Man, Manchester’s Psych Fest and the Netherlands’ Misty Fields still to come.
They also ended 2024 with a huge show at Manchester’s New Century Hall, richly deserved, helping cement their reputation as a fantastic live act. Therefore, it was an honour and a treat to find them back at The Golden Lion in Todmorden playing a speedily-arranged fundraiser for charities chosen by Keith McIvor, better known as JD Twitch, one half of DJ duo Optimo (Espacio), who has been tragically diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The previous time W.H. Lung played the Golden Lion was a brilliant headline show at their label Melodic Records’ 25th Birthday Extravaganza last summer, so anticipation was high. And wow, did they deliver. Charismatic singer Joe Evans is used to prowling the stage, criss-crossing the apron, so the tiny space at The Lion proves a challenge, the first being where to put his pint.
Once that is sorted, opener Pearl in the Palm from 2021’s sophomore album, Vanities, gets things off to a fine start – danceable, filled with fantastic hooks and urgency in Evans’ vocals. As the song says: “Everything is happening here, right now”. Couldn’t agree more.
Showstopper lives up to its title and the excellent sound at the venue does justice to the song’s catchy refrain – surely a shoo-in for this season’s Match of the Day goal highlights. Left of stage, musical wizard, Tom Sharkett, now re-located to Todmorden, switches between synthesiser and guitar never putting a foot wrong (literally), making full use of his bewildering range of guitar pedals.
Next up, two tracks from 2024’s excellent album, Every Inch of Earth Pulsates – Bloom and Fade and Painting of the Bay – giving a chance to show how W.H. Lung have always been a band where every component is equally important, creating something greater than its parts.
Hannah Peace provides further keyboards and beautifully judged backing vocals while Chris Mulligan on bass and Sidonie Hand-Halford on drums are completely in sync. Sid’s presence also gives a splendid reminder of how intertwined and celebratory the musical scene in Calderdale is, being on loan from The Orielles, while making use of The Lounge Society’s drumkit.
Personal favourite, Second Death of my Face, from debut album, Incidental Music, sounds as good as ever. “Ok, is everybody OK?”, sings Evans, receiving nods and smiles from the whole room. Then, Nothing Is takes us all the way back to that incendiary first gig back in 2016 at the Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester – an unforgettable evening and the beginning of a long and blissful journey for those of us lucky enough to have been there.
How to Walk with its ecstatic “whoo-oo”s takes the atmosphere up a further notch, including the heartfelt and pertinent line: “You give me the freedom to offer up my song”. I Will Set Fire to the House is brooding, atmospheric, leading into perhaps the band’s signature tune, Inspiration. Seven minutes of chaos and exhilaration.
“Mr P and his three-faced embassy, walk hand in hand to a human parliament”, sings Evans. “One, one, one, one, call me inspiration”.
A truly inspiring evening with one of the UK’s great live bands.
The charities nominated by JD Twitch for donations are Overgate Hospice and Todmorden Food Drop. Prints from the event and t-shirts are available from The Golden Lion.
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