Live Review: The Slates, Spangled & Youth Killed It – Social, Hull
1/11/2025
Dad and Me | Social in Hull | Photo by: Holly Oakley – TheIndieMasterplan.co.uk
There’s no better way to kick off November than piling into Social, Hull’s beloved grassroots gem.
Once a warehouse, later the iconic Fruit, it’s now the beating heart of the local indie scene and tonight it hosted a lineup of The Slates, Spangled, Youth Killed It and The Glasshouse! This bill promised chaos, charm and proper sweat-soaked energy. Me and Dad were absolutely up for this one.
We tried to catch Hull newcomers The Glasshouse, whose debut EP ‘Don’t Throw Stones‘ I’ve had on repeat, especially the Queen-tinged ‘Drowning in the Rain’. But the A63 had other plans. Luckily, the locals filled us in, “Great opening act, everyone loved them,” said my mate Mark Renshaw (AKA The Smoke Bomber) and that makes me more intrigued, they’re firmly on the must-see list.
Youth Killed It | Social in Hull | Photo by: Holly Oakley – TheIndieMasterplan.co.uk
Norwich lads Youth Killed It were first on our watch and they wasted zero time cracking Social open. Heavy riffs, big personality and a band who clearly weren’t sulking about Norwich losing to Hull City earlier that day. Frontman Jack dragged everyone into a singalong early doors, shifting the vibe into heavier punk territory and it worked wonders.
Their track ‘This Sounds Cliché’ really stood out, thoughtful, self-aware, lyrically sharp. “Even though I love The Streets, I can’t dry my eyes mate” landed perfectly.
They closed with the brilliantly snappy ‘Popstar’, before casually claiming one of their tunes had been on Bake Off. Don’t know if it’s true?… Don’t care, they earned the right to say whatever they like after that set.
Spangled | Social in Hull | Photo by: Holly Oakley – TheIndieMasterplan.co.uk
Then came the night’s unfiltered madness, Spangled! Trying to explain Spangled is like trying to catch smoke, they’re a band you feel more than describe.
They burst into ‘Swordfish Trauma’, that Stone Roses-esque bassline rolling through Social like a flare. From there, it was pure controlled chaos, the slow-burn-then-erupts brilliance of ‘B Line to Bruges’, the catchy weirdness of ‘Barracuda Cadillac’ and the full-throttle charisma of frontman Ben, whose dancing alone could power the National Grid.
Spangled know exactly when to drop the pace too, ‘Maggie’ turned the room into a sea of phone lights before they tore straight into ‘Headspace’, complete with the wonderfully unhinged lyric only they could pull off: “Put the kids in the oven and send the pie to bed.” You can’t teach that.
A Buzzcocks-approved cover of ‘Ever Fallen in Love’ sent everyone wild and ‘Little Tom’ wrapped their set into absolute delirium. They left Social buzzing, breathless and happily disorientated, classic Spangled behaviour.
The band even posed for a photo with my Scouse frog Fergie, although they did say he was planing on knicking their car, they got on like best mates, typical Manc vs Scouse banter.
Spangled & Fergie | Social in Hull | Photo by: Holly Oakley – TheIndieMasterplan.co.uk
The Slates | Social in Hull | Photo by: Holly Oakley – The Indie Masterplan
Headliners The Slates strode on ready to finish the job. Formed in 2019 and rising fast, they hit like a band who know exactly where they’re heading.
They tore straight into ‘Hello, Don’t You Know’, a punchy opener that set the tone, followed by ‘Fiesta’, which had every Fiesta T-shirt in the room bouncing. New track ‘Understand the Groove’ landed brilliantly, a fresh twist on their sound, with echoes of Kula Shaker and Ocean Colour Scene woven into something unmistakably Slate-ish.
They dropped the pace for ‘Watch Life Burn’, letting frontman Louis’ connection with the rest of the band shine through. Unreleased track ‘Try It Again’ went down a treat, while ‘Situations’ being reflective, honest and lyrically sharp ended up being my highlight of their whole set.
By now everyone was drenched but the energy somehow kept rising. ‘Come Out and Play’ brought that classic Gallagher swagger, while upcoming release ‘What’s the Point in Looking Down’ had the band urging everyone to pre-save the tune, not that anyone needed convincing.
A run of big hitters closed the night: ‘Calling Up’, then the brooding-turns-hopeful ‘What Have You Done’, before ‘Shield Your Drink’ unleashed one last chaotic singalong.
“And he was having a right time!” echoed through Social… And so were we.
Four brilliant bands, one sweaty venue and the kind of atmosphere that reminds you why grassroots gigs matter so much. The Slates feel like part of a brand-new indie wave, carrying just enough 90s DNA to keep the purists smiling. 2026 is looking like it’s their year for the taking.
Me and Dad left chatting about the night, both grinning like idiots. We wanted to start November right and we absolutely did. As Dad (Bri) put it on the walk back,
“The Slates were absolutely incredible. When can we see them again?”
