On Saturday night, Safeguard came to the legendary Key Club, Leeds with an equally energetic and heartfelt performance for their hometown fans.

Review and Photos by Georgia Davies

In a tightly packed and eager crowd of loyal decade-long fans, the energy was electric as they strung us through a cathartic forty-five-minute set.

Supported by local bands Pale Sailor and Patience as well as their tour support The Losing Score, the room was lively from when the doors opened until the beautifully chaotic finale.

The Key Club’s literal underground premises lend to the alternative/emo/ punk subcultures that are vividly alive and well and this lineup of bands felt inclusive of this.

Starting the night with Pale Sailor, who hail from Sheffield and are described as an indie, emo, and math-rock band, they offered playful guitar riffs with lead vocalist Anya Bellamy’s vocals which glide beautifully over the top. With a tinge of midwest emo and vocals reminiscent of late 2010’s bedroom pop, their songs had a certain coming of age feel to them with catchy earworm hooks to keep you moving.

Pale Sailor were followed by Patience who amped up the pace of the evening with their explosive rock sound and powerhouse vocals similar to Hayley Williams of Paramore. In an upbeat and engaging set, the band had the room alight with intricate metal-influenced guitar breakdowns and emotionally vibrant lyrics. The lead singer walked into the crowd at one point in an exceptionally moving performance of Trust.

The Losing Score followed with a more classic emo/pop punk appeal and a slightly silly disposition. The Shrewsbury three-piece bore some really enthusiastic fans and commanded the room and seemed to effortlessly exude honest lyrics of uncertainty, angst, and gender identity.

For their first ever headline tour, and shortly after their return from a six-year hiatus, Safeguard seem to have accrued a passionately loyal group of fans who gathered at the front of the stage singing every lyric and clawing after frontman Declan Gough.

Opening with a soundbite from Alfed Hitchcock’s Psycho ending in the famous line ‘sometimes we deliberately step into those traps…,’ the band then surged into their set with an undoubtedly infectious energy. Their unmistakable pop-punk sound is straight out of the early ‘00s, with a crowd that matched that antiquated energy as if the basement was a time capsule.

Safeguard offered a raw and unapologetically honest account of some personal stories handling feelings of grief and regret. Their latest single You Will Reappear is a salient example of this, with emotive guitar riffs and soul-crushing lyrics as Declan sings about the death of his mother: ‘what was it like when the light left your eyes? The ones that look the same as mine…’ The band managed to weave this subject into their expressive upbeat sound seamlessly, surging a palpable affection through the crowd.

Before closing the set with Sweet Pea, another song dealing with grief, Declan urged the crowd to do what the alternative scene does best: ‘crowd surf, grab the mic, now is your last chance,’ and that they did. The last half of the song was punctuated with members of the crowd and the front man himself sailing through a sea of willing hands in a memorable finish.

Pale Sailor, Patience, The Losing Score, and Safeguard played at The Key Club, Leeds on Saturday 6 June 2026.