Vessels at Brudenell Social Club

Leeds-based outfit Vessels – originally a five-piece post-rock collective, now something closer to a live techno machine – return for a hometown show this summer.

Formed in 2005, the instrumental band cut their teeth in the same atmospheric terrain as Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky – all glacial builds and cinematic payoffs – before gradually pivoting into the electronic underworld. By the time 2015’s Dilate landed, the guitars were mostly gone, replaced by synth stabs, 4am rhythms and glistening productions. It was a bold reinvention that somehow felt seamless – like the band had always secretly wanted to be headlining Berghain.

They pushed the transformation even further on 2017’s The Great Distraction, a dense and ambitious album that featured guest turns from the likes of John Grant and The Flaming Lips. But – remixes and side-projects aside – it’s been silence from the Leeds lads. Until now.

This Brudenell date is the first hint of a comeback, and there’s plenty of curiosity in the air. What shape will Vessels take in 2025? Will the intervening years have changed the vision? Will there be new material? They’re social media channels hint at such..

Either way, expect a full-bodied live show: immersive, kinetic, and intricately wired. With a rig that’s practically its own sixth member, Vessels are one of the few bands who can turn modular synths and digital percussion into something that feels not just danceable, but deeply human. It’s not club music in the traditional sense – but it definitely moves you.

For fans of Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, and any band that’s ever swapped pedals for pads and still made it feel like a spiritual experience, this is a rare chance to see one of Leeds’ most shapeshifting bands back in action.