The Scratch // Leeds Festival 2022

Leeds Festival 2022 //Saturday 27th August 2022

Moshmag Preview by Stanley D Kippax

We at MoshMag like to think we’re capable of picking out an act from a line up. So imagine our surprise when we arrived at the Festival Republic Tent for the Scratch’s 13.10 set. Quiet, even for the time of day, the band tuning up on stage, encouraging the crowd to join in. It was like being welcomed into a Saturday morning jamming session. Reading had apparently gone well after singer and cajon Daniel Lang had shaken 30 hands, so the tradition was continued. And then they began.

The opening Another Round charts a Tuesday night at the pub that gets out of hand and that is exactly how watching the Scratch feels. All the best nights are unexpected, the ever so slow escalation….before you know it your out on a Tuesday singing ‘R…well you get the idea.

One by one passers by stopped, stood for a listen then joined us “I just bob my head in the snug for one love”. By the time God Slap finished Lang had to start rearranging the crowd. “Everyone take a step forwards”. The festival equivalent of fetching another stool from the tap. “Can we have a beer for the sound engineer please?”. “Who wants to sing the next verse?” It was fucking chaos of the very best kind.

Flaker followed “there’s no use complaining about the skid marks in your mates jock if you can’t even wipe your own arse”. Yep, true enough.

Noticing the set wasn’t quite as stereotypically Irish is it could have been the Bands tour manager Brian swung by to deliver a round of Guinness. With everyone suitably refreshed Lang returns to holding court. A joyful pit had by this time formed, all jigging and swirling, but it’s not quite big enough for the band. But by time time the tent is heaving and we’re in danger of spilling out into the lounge.

We close with Get It Up Ye and with that we’re done. It was a good time (a very good time) though not a long time. But good news is they’re coming back in November though, so we agree to do it all again then. Times time ladies and gentlemen! We’ve all got places to be, but I’ll probably be best grabbing a kebab on the way.