Article by Umberto Scaramozzino | Picture of Rossella Mele
Whether you are newbies or old sea dogs who know the deep waters of live music like the back of their hands, the occasion of the first Italian concert of Leap it's delicious. Why? I challenge you to list the international bands you saw selling out an Italian club before the release of their first album. Leap not only sold out theARCI Beauty of Milan with only two EPs and a handful of singles under their belt, but they're doing it without even having a record deal yet. They are independent, but the impression is that they will sign soon and that this is the beginning of a journey full of important goals. In short: in all likelihood, this could be an evening forI was there”.
He's on the microphone Jack Balfour Scottalready protagonist of the short but intense story of The Mispers, a London alt-rock band that emerged from Camden Town at the beginning of the last decade and officially disbanded in 2018. Jack is only thirty-two years old, but he can already say he has lived two lives, both with the company of a bipolar disorder which he also speaks openly about on stage. The confidence with which he faces this new adventure is surprising, as is the freshness with which this project faces the misfit and decadent world of Rock'n'roll of these crazy Twenties. He believes in it a lot, as do his adventure companions.
Leap have studied the entire repertoire of young rock stars. Perhaps even too well, to the point that there is no shortage of moments in which that “rock of discomfort” – this is how Jack sometimes defines his music – seems to evaporate in favor of bombastic rock, perhaps leaving a small creative void. In short, well done, very good, but a few less winks and a little more content certainly wouldn't hurt. At the same time, the four musicians have an arsenal worthy of the best gimmicks in the music business, the ones that are increasingly difficult to find when guitars are involved. It's all there: the solos, the mosh pits, the wall of death, the crowd surfing, the throwing of objects to and from the stage, even the acoustic piece played in the audience. And here's the surprise that makes the Milan date the most special so far: a duet with the Ligurian singer-songwriter Giulia Welcomein art Granger. His home version of Exit Signs impressed the English band to the point of making the unscripted episode possible and therefore the longest setlist of the entire tour to date.
The air at ARCI Bellezza is electric and the enthusiasm is equally distributed on both sides of the stage. When Adam Masonthe very blond and very young guitarist, launches himself into his virtuosity, it is difficult to say whether it is more the fans or the bandmates who enjoy it, visibly enraptured by their platinum-plated Jedi.
It is an absolutely precious atmosphere, enriched even more by the desire to have fun and bring the place down, which only projects full of the vitality of the beginning can offer. This compensates a little for the not always impeccable performance of some songs, especially the less explosive ones, such as the ballad Blood & Wine, significantly less effective than listening with headphones. However, the impact of the new one was sensational One Way Out – among the best alt-rock singles of 2024, so far – and the hits that made them known to most of those present, from Show Me the Way You Love to the irresistible Exit Signsalso proposed in a full band version so as not to give up this pre-announced climax.
Excluding Budapest and Zagreb, the entire The Dark Habits Tour of twenty European dates is sold out and has the contours of a run-up. Towards a recording contract, of course, but also towards ever larger venues, to accommodate ever larger and more aggressive fandoms. A run-up towards that leap predicted by their very name.
Click here to see photos of LEAP in concert in Milan or browse the gallery below
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
