If ‘Meet the North’ was designed to showcase new, red-hot, talent then they certainly did themselves justice by adding The Vegan Leather to the lineup.

Artistic, flamboyant, humble…. different… the TVL’s are all you want from a band; visually striking, musically experimental, full of fun and brimming with confidence.

Opening with ‘Whatever you want’ the Vegan’s place a huge mark in the sand with Talking Heads styled funk guitars, Devo theme’d attitude and Van Halen styled lead guitar solos.  Supported by multi-part B52 styled male/female vocals ‘Whatever’ is absolute pop perfection.  And that’s before you throw in the mirror-ball coated guitar.

A short(ish) set showcases similar electronic/guitar experimentation, with ‘Eyes’, ‘I take America’ and ‘Shake it’ standing out as instant classics; almost perfect in their architecture and execution.

Kitsch, self-aware and very original, The Vegan Leathers were absolutely outstanding.  You need to see this band.