On the 23rd of May 2022, me and my friend Caitlin went by train to the Key Club which is in central Leeds, in order to see The Sensations, and the Scooby Doo gang (as well as 2 other amazing bands) in concert. It would be safe to say that it was a thrilling and overall enjoyable night. My friend Caitlin and I met our other friend KC, and then arrived in the queue at 7:15pm, but the doors didn’t open until 7:30pm. So, we were waiting outside in lovely sunny weather, and it was the best feeling because everyone around us was excited, it has the most amazing atmosphere. We even met a couple of new friends! who had the most amazing fashion sense, dyed hair and detailed eyeliner.  

The lighting was crazy, most of the songs had a different color, if it was an upbeat song such as Don't Stop Me now by Queen which was sung by the first band, then the lights on the ceiling and the lights behind the bands, we’re changing colors. The staff were absolutely lovely, and they were very polite and talkative. In my opinion, the sound quality was fantastic, which was clearly demonstrated by the acoustics in the venue which contributed significantly to ensuring that the distinctive vocals of Lily (lead singer in the 2nd band) came through exceptionally well. Personally, I thought that the Key Club was the perfectly sized venue for this rock/ pop music genre, and even the strobe lights which were used contributed to conveying the mood of each song in terms of their rapidly differing color and speed. I thought that each song sounded very similar to the original in terms of rhythm and tempo, and the quality was amazing, but there were also a few unexpected surprises, such as a rather impromptu intense drum solo, (by Adam, the drummer for sensations) or an elongated electric guitar solo, or a guitar battle between 2 if the brilliantly talented guitarists. The energy of the band was contagious, which was demonstrated through the rest of the audiences' reactions to the great set list of songs, as everyone around me (including me and my friends) were up and dancing for most of the night! It was exceptionally mesmerizing. I hold the belief that great live music truly has the power to be able to transform individuals to another world, where everything else on our mind is forgotten about, all our worries forgotten, and only what's going on in the moment matters. And that feeling? That feeling is indescribable and climactic. 

The background was incredible it had a huge lights and smoke machines which caused the air and ceiling to become cloudy and smoky, and it even appeared to change to a different color on every song, although the main colors were green and red, which continuously flashed, combined with white rapidly flashing lights. While the bands were up on the stage, the people's reaction to their music was astonishing, vibrant and infectious, the whole crowd who were on the floor, every time that the beat hit everyone would come to life and jump up and down, everyone by the stage area was standing, mosh pits would occur to particular songs, such as the Sensations cover to 'sex on fire' originally by Kings of Leon. A lot of people had actually got trodden on and injured, but nothing too serious, I got kicked in the knee and everyone fell over in a pile which made everyone laugh, the energy was so pure and vibrant and enthusiastic, which was lucky. another song which the crown responded lively to would be Sweet Child o' Mine by Guns N' Roses, which was sung by one pf the other bands whose lead singer had an astonishing stage presence and really connected well with the audience, that band also sung Good For You originally by Olivia Rodrigo, which made the entire audience scream along with them, it was thrilling, and you could feel the vibrations from the speakers and drums throughout your entire body. Kiwi by Harry Styles was also sung by this band (which was the second band) where all of the crowd were dancing with each other and screaming the lyrics, which made the atmosphere unbelievably incredible. 

The 3rd band, the Scooby Doo gang were very engaging, and the lead singer's enthusiasm was contagious, which was successfully achieved by thoughtfully utilizing the stage to dance, head bang and influence exiting mosh pits with songs like Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, and also allow the standing crowd a chance to have a clearer, close-up view. All of the band members had a chance to connect and interact with the audience too, which included all of them introducing themselves and encouraging audience participation, such as clapping, hand swaying and using our phones torches. The band members even dressed up as the different members in Scooby Doo, and the electric guitarist looked incredible and wore rainbow knee high socks, and a yellow skirt which is a factor which should be normalized and which also links to my art award which is on sustainable fashion without gender-norms, as skirts should not be named as strictly feminine wear. 

The Sensations performed covers for some of the most well-known music throughout the set list, such as ‘We are Family’, by Sister Sledge, ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish and ‘Sex on Fire' originally by Kings of Leon. ’ Which the audience were very familiar with. I also loved the fact that they even gave some context before performing a few of the songs, which meant that the audience could understand the creative process or inspiration behind them. They also sang 2 slower songs were also strategically placed as the first 2 that they sang, which were followed by more fast-paced and upbeat songs. for Happier than Ever by Billie Eilish, the atmosphere was so incredibly raw, and emotional, the atmosphere shifter, from happy and upbeat to almost coming from deep within and drawing on raw emotion cause by deep rooted pain, which was demonstrated by the switch in the singer's voice, the strobe lights at the chorus, combined with the energy from the crowd which the lead singer seemed to draw energy from. And then for the encore, they came on stage and sang 'Sex on Fire' which initiated another mosh-pit and I believe that overall either Sweet Child o' Mine, Kiwi, Happier than ever, Sex on Fire or Good for You were my favorite because that atmosphere for those was sublime, and ultimately soul freeing. 

However, some criticisms of it would be that: 

• There was a 10-minute interval between each set which meant that sometimes atmosphere died down and our concentration was lost. However, it was gained once again when the bands started again. 

• The bass music seemed to be louder than the singer which made it a lot more difficult to hear their lyrics properly. 

• The contest also wasn’t advertised much, resulting in a smaller crowd consisting of mainly family and friends of the acts, I know the drummer for one of the bands.