I’ve been following Lauren Tate’s career ever since I first heard her work in punk band Hands Off Gretel. Since then, Lauren has started a new project under the moniker of Delilah Bon. Whilst the music she produces as Delilah Bon leans more into the world of electro-pop and hip-hop, there are still moments of punk and rock to be found within her new music – particularly in terms of the lyrical themes used. A new live album titled Live In Leeds was recently released, and I was eager to give it a listen – see what I thought of the record below!
By Jane Howkins
There is a fiery, unfiltered magic that comes when watching or listening to an artist perform a home-turf gig – this vibe absolutely shines through on Delilah Bon’s new live release, Live In Leeds. She’s actually a Yorkshire native herself, with this record capturing Lauren operating at the absolute peak of her powers. The album was recorded live during a sold-out show at the legendary Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, offering a safe space for Delilah to unleash her unapologetic riot-grrrl rage upon the captive audience. In these songs, you’ll find a catchy pop sensibility, heavy nu-metal guitar riffs, a sharp rap flow and heaps of passion from Yorkshire’s own Lauren Tate. It’s really a masterclass in modern protest music, made all the more real due to the visceral live energy that’s delivered here.
One of the things that makes the songs on Live In Leeds so captivating is the effortless way in which Delilah Bon manages to bridge the gap between tight studio precision and the raw catharsis of the live stage. Even when listening at home, the atmosphere inside the Brudenell sounds palpable, with the heavy basslines on songs like ILLEGAL ALIENS and Brat building the tension up until it explodes. It can be hard to capture the electricity of a good live gig on record, but Lauren and her team have done well here – you can really feel the shared emotion between the artist and the audience.
In terms of the music, the performance given here is an absolute tour de force, smashing numerous genres to pieces in the process. Delilah has a fantastic level of stamina, seamlessly swapping between spitfire rap verses and soaring punk rock hooks that hint a little at her previous band’s work. Particular highlights are anthems like Grown Ass Men, War On Women and Dead Men Don’t Rape – the latter is one of my favourite Delilah Bon songs and sounds even better live. There are several important themes tackled here (as you might expect from the previously mentioned song titles), including systemic misogyny, sexual harassment, rape and body autonomy. However, it never feels heavy-handed, as Lauren has a real way of words, transforming the room’s collective anger into a triumphant and empowering celebration of self-expression.
Evil, Hate Filled Female sees the crowd interacting nicely with the music, singing along to the lyrics with Delilah as she reclaims a series of derogatory slurs often aimed at women. Live In Leeds is an album that really shines when the quieter moments of crowd connection are hinted at, showing this isn’t just a normal live set: instead, it’s a growing cultural movement. It’s also fantastic to hear people connecting so much with songs with these lyrical topics, showing that there is still hope for humanity somewhere out there. The female singer-songwriter Tori Amos changed the world in the early 90s with her ground-breaking songs about sexual assault, speaking your voice and misogyny within religion – now it’s time for a new generation to take up the mantle and no one is better primed for this than Delilah Bon herself.
Sometimes, live albums can often feel like mere placeholders – at least when compared to being there in the flesh. However, Live in Leeds is a vital document of a cultural movement, as Delilah Bon doesn’t just play songs. Instead, she appears to be creating an inclusive and empowering musical sanctuary where anger and fear can be transformed into a force for good. If you’re a believer in the rebellious heart of Britain’s alternative music scene, then Delilah Bon’s music is loud, necessary and really darn entertaining.