If you’ve ever been to the Fulford Arms you’ll know that the bands who play there are invited to chalk their names up on the walls for posterity. As a punter, you scan them and can imagine the now big names playing the confines of the intimate venue.
Review and photos by Graeme Smith
Will Youth Sector be one of those? Time will tell, but they’ve certainly got a good chance given the charisma and stage presence they showed at the York venue on Wednesday night.
Before we get to them, let’s talk about the Yorkshire-based supports. Usually, a venue starts empty and fills up in time for the headliners but that wasn’t the case tonight. Right from Messy Eater’s opening set, there was a crowd, a testament to the openers’ pull.
I caught the York-based act in August, and their set was largely unchanged. The Gorillaz cover didn’t make an appearance but their new Halloween single, Haunted Heart, did. Lead singer Pete got a nice plug in for the artwork through his snazzy T-shirt.
Travelling over from Wakey was another York Calling favourite, Oliver Pinder. He and his band had their work cut out geeing up a clearly burnt-out midweek crowd, but they did their best.
The full band sound showed a different side to the singer-songwriter, but none of the intimacy and emotional impact of his songs were lost. They talked of love, grief, and getting by in a stressful world.
Then it was Youth Sector, and I don’t think any amount of geeing up could prepare the audience for the maelstrom that followed. The guys are on a long tour but didn’t seem to lack any energy for it. Their set slapped you around the chops like a wad of cash.
Not even a misbehaving synth halted their progress. “This is our most synth-heavy track,” the lead singer quipped after the KORG went kaput.
There was a cover but one I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. The scout-master outfit bedecked act busted out an enthusiastic version of Theme From Rawhide and you could smell the whip oil (is that a thing?)
The Fully did it again, booking yet another set of acts that are in their ascendency. I honestly don’t know how they do it, given their modest size. It’s a combination of reputation and a severe lack of competition, I suppose. Let’s hope the venue doesn’t go the way of others.
Messy Eater, Oliver Pinder, and Youth Sector played at The Fulford Arms on Wednesday 22 October 2025.