Fun Lovin Criminals rock the Academy in Leeds

Not going to lie, whenever I think of Huey Morgan from the Fun Loving Criminals, I immediately think of the time he was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Simon Amstell annoyed him.. He wasn’t impressed but it was very funny.

Back on form, having recently recovered from a broken ankle, Huey and the gang were sharp suited, and with guitar in hand it wasn’t long before Huey and the rest of the band had the crowd singing and dancing along.

There is nothing about this band that has you feeling like they just want to get on with the set and get off. They are super chilled and laid back, with the night full of great music in what is a respectfully modest venue. Huey joked that he was wearing the sunnies because the light was bouncing off so many bald heads he was blinded by them before launching into a bit of Jazz. They just seem to flow through the night like they had all the time in the world. The crowd is mostly middle-aged but then the Fun Loving Criminals have been around for a respectable 25 years now, so it is unsurprising really that the fans have also aged 25 years too.

DJ Mateo opened the night and what a super set he played. There was music that literally covered everyone’s taste, and he certainly knew how to get everyone in the party mood with lots of dance, foot tapping and sing-a-long hits.

Set list

1. Rumble (Link Wray cover)

2. Hello Again (Neil Diamond cover)

3. Back on The Block

4. Passive/Aggressive

5. King Of New York

6. Smoke ‘Em

7. Loco

8. You Know How We Do It

9. Up On The Hill

10.Bombin’ The L

11. We, The Three