From an unwitting outsider’s perspective these appear to be uncertain times for The Leisure Society. Burton’s finest folk-rock outfit have been around for 15 years but done little more than tread water (H2O is regular motif in their music) for the past four. There was a single Brave Are The Waves (I did tell you) earlier this year but no sign of a previously mooted EP, publicity images (in a boat…) for the current tour are the same as those used for the last one in 2019, and even their website domain has been allowed to expire... and now belongs to be a clothing retailer.

And as if all that wasn’t enough cause for concern, a recent Tweet to promote their first shows in four years contained the cryptic line “we’re not sure when we’ll be back again”, making this gig at the Hare & Hounds a must-see, even if purely on a just-in-case basis.

The opening line from the opening number loaded more fuel on the fire. “Someday we all shall cease to exist,” declared singer Nick Hemming as he launched into the sombre title track of the band’s debut album The Sleeper, before swift moving on to the cheekier and cheerier (despite the title) Save It For Someone Who Cares.

Jumbling lyrical and musical moods – sometimes within the same song – is something The Leisure Society are experts at, and while melancholy is typically more prevalent than mirth, the latter comes to the fore during the between-song banter largely led by keyboard player Christian Hardy, regularly forced to fill time as Hemming labours over another guitar retuning. “We deal in heartbreak and faff” Hardy suggested, potentially providing a summary of the band’s career as much as their live performances, even though it was glaringly obvious that everyone on stage – which also included long-term violinist Mike Siddell and newly-hired hands on bass and drums – was seriously enjoying themselves.

The same went for the hugely partisan crowd, and with good reason – the chat was funny and endearing, and the music sublime, from God Has Taken A Vacation and the eternally gorgeous Last Of The Melting Snow to the fabulous (and borderline prog rock) We Were Wasted and Mistakes On The Field, the latter one (or if we’re being pedantic two) of the highlights of a truly wonderful night.

Better yet, a smattering of new songs – Given Up Love an instant favourite – and the band’s evident joy at being back on stage suggests thoughts of their demise are not only premature but can hopefully be, in the words of another of the night's highpoints, written off rather than written down.

5 stars

Reviewed by Steve Adams at the Hare & Hounds, Birmingham on Wednesday 22 November.