SUNDERLAND four-piece The Futureheads finally played The Brickyard last night after two postponements.

The indie rockers had originally been billed for April 2020 but had rescheduled to September this year due to Covid restrictions.

That gig was then cancelled due to bassist David 'Jaff' Craig testing positive for the virus.

I was particularly excited, as this was my first gig since the beginning of the pandemic.

I rocked up early to see the support acts, eager to make the most of the night.

First up were Carlisle natives Indie Street Club.

I was looking forward to finally hearing them live, as I had written preview pieces for some of their previous gigs.

They were a great band to open the bill, with their high energy songs warming up the crowd nicely.

They reminded me of Oasis, with Ryan Davidson's vocals and Alex De Freitas' guitar echoing the Gallagher brothers.

Next up was Hartlepool band Mt. Misery.

I'd never heard of them before, but was instantly impressed.

Their light coloured clothes and dreamy guitars made me think of Brighton. In particular, south coast quartet The Magic Gang.

The easy listening nature of their songs contrasted with the rocky Indie Street Club, but they were very tuneful and made me want to hear more.

I liked them so much that I listened to their album as soon as I got home.

Finally we had the main act, The Futureheads.

Their energy was infectious. 

The crowd sang along as they opened with The Beginning of the Twist, myself included.

Other big hits Meantime and Decent Days and Nights went down particularly well.

Not only was their music great, but their chat was too, with Ross Millard and Barry Hyde leading the conversation.

Dave Hyde also added in the occasional hilarious drunken line, as the band said that he had drank 10 pints in The Lane Bar beforehand.

They were weird, they were funny, and the crowd lapped it all up.

Towards the end, they played Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, splitting the crowd into different sections and getting them to do backing vocals.

This was my favourite moment of the night, and I imagine it was the same for much of the crowd.

It was a great set, full of energy and fantastic harmonies.

The only disappointing thing was that they didn't perform anything from their 2012 A Capella album, Rant.

When they came out for their encore, I was sure that they were going to perform their version of Black Eyed Peas' Meet Me Halfway, but it was not to be.

I woke up this morning with ringing ears.

It used to annoy me, but today, after such a long time, it reminded me of a great gig.