TANZANA // HEADROW HOUSE, LEEDS

Tanzana Bring Dark Allure to LEEDS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)

Tanzana @ Headrow House, Leeds

Photo Credit: John Hayhurst

It’s the 2nd time this week where I’m completely bowled over by a support act, so this time I’m giving them their own review.

Tanzana are a young Glasgow five-piece formed in Stonelaw High School in Rutherglen, and even now they can’t be much older than around 19 or 20. They step onto Headrow House’s small stage, into dim red lights and instantly shift the room’s pulse — a support act with headline presence.

Although my first reaction was “Oh No…It’s a Last Dinner Party tribute act”. That thought was quickly quashed as their sound moved like a slow storm: eerie, immersive, and heavy with intent, but sonically beautiful.

Frontwoman Freya Talbot commands attention without too many theatrics, her voice slipping between soft breathy silk and then snarling howl, reminding me so much of Siouxsie Soux. Karolina Skinderskyte’s drumming keeps everything taut, while Katie Hare holds the groove with unblinking focus, bassline runs thick enough to anchor the air. Guitarists Lily Findlay and Sarah Dunn weave tones that shimmer, bite, and bloom — a sound caught somewhere between beauty and unease. Their musicality is top notch for such a young band.

There’s also something quietly magnetic in their restraint, apart from Talbot they rarely look up or engage with their new eager audience. The band’s pagan-tinged aesthetic — baggy cotton fabrics, red flickering lights, a hint of folklore weirdness — feels like an extension of the music rather than a stage costume.

You can’t find any Tanzana music on streaming platforms, they prefer to build their audience through live performance (how refreshing), but they do play ‘Covet’, their upcoming debut single, to be released next week. The track builds slow, prowls, and then explodes — a perfect snapshot of their balance between menace and beauty.

By the end, Tanzana leave the stage to a mass of cheers and raised eyebrows — that quiet, collective recognition that something is starting, and for a band still earning their stripes, they’ve already mastered the art of arrival.

They are one of my ‘Bands to watch out for in 2026’ and have just been announced for Great Escape in Brighton next year.

Words and Photos - John Hayhurst