The Night is tonight as The Sherlocks tour with Kaiser Chiefs and celebrate new single

LISTEN: The Night, the latest release from The Sherlocks, is out this Friday, November 4 –CLICK HERE.

BUY TICKETS: Kaiser Chiefs are supported by The Fratellis and The Sherlocks on their All Together Now UK Tour 2022 and tickets are now limited – CLICK HERE.

While proud of their South Yorkshire roots and known for their links with Sheffield, drummer Brandon Crook explained they will be treating the Leeds leg of the tour as a ‘home gig’.

He said the four piece feel a strong connection with the city they play on Saturday, November 12.

“You know a live show is always going to go off here. We saw it again when we played O2 Academy in June and at Leeds festival in August,” he said.

“We also practice at Eiger Studios in New Craven Gate, plus the first time we played a gig with only our own songs was at The Cockpit, near the railway station, in 2014. After that, we knew that we had a chance of keeping things going.”

WATCH: Check out highlights of the The Sherlocks filmed at Leeds O2 Academy in our embedded YouTube player – or CLICK HERE.

Brandon, his brother, and frontman Kiaran, lead guitarist Alex Procter and bassist Trent Jackson are joining The Fratellis alongside The Kaiser Chiefs for the biggest support tour of their careers.

And, after another top ten album with World I Understand earlier this year, Kiaran says the opportunity has come at the right time for the DIY band.

“We are at a stage now where there is less pressure,” he said. “When you first start out, you inevitably gather some hype and it all about your first album and getting signed. Then it is whether your second record will be any good.”

He added: “We passed that phase and have proven that we are not going anywhere. People know that we are here for the long run. Our aim is to keep making top albums and to keep touring.”

The Sherlocks are no strangers to performing with Kaiser Chiefs. They played two nights together at the Piece Hall in Halifax last year, and at Elland Road in 2019 when the football club celebrated its centenary.

“That was our first stadium gig in this country, and it was a gift to us,” recalled Brandon. “We would like to thank Kaiser Chiefs for generously having us along again this time. It is going to be a hell of a tour, a belter from start to finish.”

The Crook brothers first met Ricky Wilson at a Shed Seven gig. “He was there as a punter,” explained Brandon. “Then, another time, when he was presenting Isle of Wight festival highlights on television, he said some nice things about us and how he hated people being pigeonholed.”

Playing their songs lives is a non-negotiable red line for The Sherlocks, which isn’t always the case for others in the music industry according to Kiaran.

He explained: “After our set at this year’s Leeds festival, we were talking to a guy, who had been playing session guitar with another band on the main stage, and he couldn’t believe that we hadn’t used backing tracks.

“The fact we play everything live blew his mind, but it is only ever us four on drums, guitars, vocals and, sometimes, our mate Jonny Oxer helps out on keyboard.

“We just get in the practice room, pick out the main bits of a song and see how full we can make it. Alex is always good with that, but everything is always live. There is something about watching a drummer or guitarist that will always appeal to people.”

Brandon added: “The exciting thing about live rock and roll music is that something could go wrong, or something different may happen. It is what people remember. Back in the day, bands would not dream of doing anything else.”

And while Kiaran is too modest to see The Sherlocks as custodians of guitar music, he does see them as one of the protectors of live music, standing on the shoulders of many giants.

He said: “Jon Robb from Louder Than War described our last Manchester show as part of an underground scene, even though there was 1,500 people watching. There is not much hype, but when you step into one of our shows, you realise you have come to see a proper band. We are not on television, but the place is still rammed. It is a reminder of how things used to be.

“For a while I lost a bit of confidence in guitar music but playing a good gig like that restores your faith and makes you realise that there are new people out there who want this. There was a time when things felt a bit stale, with not many new bands breaking through, but that seems to be changing. It is coming back. The flame has been reignited”

At that Manchester gig at The Ritz in September, the band did a cover of The Stone Roses’ I Wanna Be Adored, 36 years after the original was sung in the same venue.

“When the bass line kicked in, everyone in the venue pricked up their ears. It was a proper highlight of the evening,” said Kiaran.

The Sherlocks’ main stage appearance this year’s Leeds Festival came seven years after their first time there on the Festival Republic stage. Kiaran revealed, they only had the slot because Brandon took a punt on organiser Melvin Benn’s email address.

“He just had a wild guess but had a reply saying we could play. We were first on, but the tent was rammed, then it was the same again the next year, the NME/Radio One stage in 2017, a secret set in 2019 and now this year first up on the main stage. It means we have played every step of the ladder.”

With work nearing completion on the band’s fourth album, this time with renowned producer Al Groves, it means the current line-up with Alex and Trent will have been involved in as many records as the original four-piece.

Kiaran said: “What is even crazier, is that our third album, which we released in January, already feels like an old record to us. There also seems to be an increasing demand for new music, like when bands like The Beatles were recording two albums a year.”

Trent and Alex are from Rochdale and Ribble Valley respectively, but Brandon says they both have both become honorary sons of Yorkshire. “Alex especially loves it,” he laughs. “I think he is looking to be adopted.”

To coincide with the tour, the lads are releasing a stand alone single called The Night.

“We went into our vault of old songs and rediscovered a belter,” said Brandon. “Kiaran has reworked it, spruced it up and put some synth on it. It originates from an old B side called Leave Me Alone, which we played live years ago.”

He added: “It may even be our first ever self-produced home recording. Its only 2 minutes long, but it is one of those tracks where when it has finished, you want to listen to it again.”

*Kaiser Chiefs, The Fratellis and The Sherlocks play Leeds First Direct Arena on Saturday 12 March. Their UK tour starts in Swansea on Wednesday 2 November. Single The Night by The Sherlocks is out this week.