LEEDS band Cud are back on the road again after various well-received dates in recent years supporting Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Carter USM and The Wedding Present, alongside their own tours.

This time they are promoting their new single Victoria, and to kick the tour off they called into the new Fibbers last Friday. This was my first visit since the York live music bar moved to Toft Green, and I was impressed: plenty of good vantage points and half decent beer at the bar.

Percy, also from Leeds, got things started to a slowly filling room with a nice and chaotic, noisy racket that seemed to go down a treat with those paying attention. Recent plays on 6Music certainly make sense. A good warm-up while people found their feet in the new place.

A pretty packed room of 30/40/50-somethings erupted as the Cudband took to the stage in what soon became a remarkably intimate gig. Heading straight into Now! from Leggy Mambo, the band wasted little time rattling through their extensive back catalogue.

Carl Puttnam was still every inch the popstar with his dark glasses, fancy shirt and deep croon that he does so well. Before you knew it, the usual suspects of Purple Love Balloon and Rich And Strange had flashed by, and the crowd loved it.

All three tracks off the new single, and its 2013 predecessor, Louise, had an airing. Two encores followed, ending with an extraordinarily well-behaved stage invasion to Slack Time, something of a Cud tradition nowadays.

This was a great gig in what seems like a great “new” venue for York. More please!

- Jonathan Wilcox