LIVE FROM THE PIT: Noahfinnce, Taylor Acorn and South Arcade

Emos and queers of all ages flocked to the Leeds University student union on Tuesday for the penultimate date of Noahfinnce’s current UK tour. Backed up by American rocker Taylor Acorn and recent scene explosion South Arcade, Finnce has deftly created a safe space for the queer and the neurodivergent alike, with moving scenes of the youth of both groups a standout feature of this evening of pop rock.

The entry into Leeds Stylus was an unexpected farce: the doors did not open until 7:20, with South Arcade due to be on at 7:30, and after then it took at least an additional 20 minutes to get into the venue. South Arcade began their set at 7:45, now 15 minutes behind schedule, with the line still stretching around the corner. This was uncharacteristic for the venue as voiced by attendees, with odd quirks such as being separated for a search despite not having a bag and tickets being scanned twice, with workers scanning both down the line and at the door.

Despite this, when the show got going there were no hitches and an immaculate energy within the venue. South Arcade came out to their intro and lead with Danger, which had hit Tiktok by storm in the last few months and for good reason. South Arcade brought the energy and lived up to their self proclaimed mission of warming the crowd up for the next two acts- they operated in sync and with a boatload of personality and band chemistry, and looked to be loving every second. They treated the crowd to new single Moth Kids, then followed up with unreleased track 2005, which went down a storm with the pit who by this point had electrified and seemed to like this the most. By the time the set closed the buzz they made could be classed as mission complete.

Next up was Taylor Acorn joined by her two piece band and clad in some gorgeous leather flare pants. The guitarist brought dance moves akin to Frank Iero in his MCR Revenge era days, but overall Acorn gave us a more subdued and older performance compared to the battery pack that was South Arcade. Treating us to the underlyingly-toxic I Think I’m in Love and a break for an acoustic track that moved the crowd, then two songs from the end came personal favourite and title track from her most recent album Certified Depressive. Though South Arcade brought out more energy, a lone group of friends managed to start the first pit of the night at Taylor Acorn’s closing track, and we thank them for their service.

Finally, headliner Noahfinnce began his intro, utilising the staging of multiple TVs identical to those on his debut album, where the channels were flicked through for a variety of programming before bursting onstage for his opening number. He and his band were electric and moved around each other as if they were jamming in the garage, interweaved with some exemplary crowd control and participation. The smiles on Noah’s face emanated ‘I can’t believe this is my life’, coupled with the ADHD-bounding around the stage that makes him made to be a rockstar.

The talks with the crowd were some of the highlights of the set, from the quips of wishing he had been in his high school burn book because he doesn’t want to be left out to the back and forth about being emo, culminating in him convincing the crowd to turn to the individual to their left and screaming in their face, finishing off with “let’s get ready to cry!” as he started to play. A similar chuckle was the queer line of questioning, with Stylus being its quietest when asked if there were any straight people in the room. was not just Noah who had plans in store, with a fan printing and distributing purple stars to concertgoers to be held over torchlights during emotional track Asthma Attack- he had tried to joke his way out of the emotion by saying he doesn’t play this song on a ukulele anymore because they’re “cringe and gay” and turning it into a crowd chant, but as the stars entered the sky a genuine surprise and appreciation crossed his face as he realised what Stylus was treating him to.

The setlist was a healthy variety of tracks from his debut album and older releases from his previous EPs. Tracks such as headcase and the aforementioned Asthma attack were both popular and resonant with a crowd populated with the queer and neurodiverse community that made up Stylus on Tuesday night, while title track Growing Up On The Internet went down a storm (even if the remix of the sound of dial up and reconnecting internet was lost on some of the younger members).

The energy never stopped on the stage, and by the closing track a pit was coaxed once again with someone in a wrestling mask running straight towards it. The main takeaway from this show was the immaculate energy that surrounded the Stylus. Everyone was friendly and trading excitement for the download announcement that came in the middle of the evening, respectful to the staff despite the delays and the beautiful mix of grown up gender diverse people and gender diverse kids donned in flags with their parents behind them made for an emotional sight. Another beautiful moment came ⅔ into the set where on the balcony a mother and her two kids were headbanging in unison- they seemed to be there for the eldest, but were enjoying live music as a family. Witnessing the comfort of the next generation was moving; the space felt safe and supportive, and when leaving the venue the importance of openly queer and neurodiverse musicians resonated deep within.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Izzy Scott