It’s funny how one concert going choice can have a chain effect on your life. If I hadn’t turned up early to see The Amazons back in 2023 I wouldn’t have discovered Swim School. If I hadn’t subsequently gone to Swim School’s maiden headline tour in 2024 I wouldn’t have stumbled on their opener Lizzie Esau. And if that hadn’t happened it’s quite likely I wouldn’t have spent a hot July evening in the cellar of Leeds’ Royal Park Pub seeing her unveiling a host of new material as she stepped into a new era.
The Royal Park Pub is one of those venues that surprises you to discover that hosts live music. Having walked past it countless times to get to its neighbour the Brudenell Social Club I’d never twigged that the traditional looking pub had a secret underground concert set up – and from my difficulties finding the stairs down to it I suspect some regulars there would have been equally astonished to learn what they were drinking above. It may not be the most glamourous or romantic of venues but it is the sort of place where aspiring acts come to hone their trade, as evidenced by the fact local favourites Pulp and Embrace had performed there long before fame and success came their way.
After a support set of intense and mesmeric alternative rock from Dear Tash onto the stage bounded Lizzie and her band, displaying a non-stop source of energy as she bounced around the stage and into the crowd when vocal and guitar duties didn’t tie her to her microphone stand. Any nerves due to playing so much unreleased material didn’t permeate (despite the constant apologies of playing yet another new one), with a natural affinity to the spotlight and warm nature shown throughout the forty five minute set.
For a night publicised as celebrating new music it would be amiss not to mention those four unreleased songs performed. Influenced and educated by the ongoing genius that of Wolf Alice, each of them took the listener on a journey, displaying the critical quality of ending up in a different musical location to where the songs started. Highlights of these were the the indie rock of Spit and its impressive middle eight breakdown along with Don’t You Start wetting its toes with 70s funk influences, the latter suggesting a broadening of the song writing palette displayed in the releases so far during her career.
The most touching moment of the evening though came during a solo rendition of the rarely performed Stay on the Phone, when the entire front row (in what I presume was a pre-organised rather than spontaneous act) pulled out bubble pots and showered the stage with bubbles to spectacular effect. A closing stretch through established live favourites Bugs, Lazy Brain and the irrepressible Bleak Sublime finished the evening in style, the latter’s infectious hook line echoing around the venue at a volume that suggested that thousands of fans were hollering it back.
It’s one of those wonderful yet horrifying contradictions of the modern music industry that an act can go viral overnight but at the same time there are acts with so much talent on display struggling to make that elusive breakthrough. Lizzie Esau ticks all the critical boxes that an artist needs to succeed – songs that are both catchy and full of musicianship, endless energy and stagecraft but at the same time coming across as endearing and relatable. And as always it’s a reminder that even those small venues that are so easy to ignore can sometimes be hosting something very exciting that one day you’ll be proud to be able to claim you were there to witness.
Have you seen Lizzie Esau at any of her recent summer performances? Make sure to leave a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe for more live music reviews straight to your inbox.
Alex Reviews Gigs 
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