Various Artists - Where Were You; Independent Music from Leeds 1978-1989

Where Were You? Independent Music from Leeds 1978–1989 is an expansive 3CD box set released by Cherry Red Records that meticulously documents the creative explosion within the West Yorkshire city’s underground scene. Spanning a decade of "DIY defiance," the collection features 68 tracks that bridge the gap between post-punk, goth, indie-pop, and early electronic music. It showcases the global impact of Leeds heavyweights like Soft Cell, The Sisters of Mercy, and Gang of Four alongside cult favorites such as The Wedding Present and Delta 5. Beyond the hits, the compilation is highly regarded for including rare, previously unissued recordings and extensive sleevenotes that illustrate how Leeds’ art colleges and independent labels fostered a uniquely gritty and experimental musical identity separate from the nearby hubs of Manchester or Sheffield.

Where Were You? Independent Music from Leeds 1978–1989 is a long-overdue chronological survey that finally places Leeds on equal footing with its more celebrated northern neighbours, Manchester and Sheffield. Critical reception, such as in The Quietus, highlights the city’s "DIY defiance," noting that while Leeds lacks a single catalytic venue like The Cavern or the Haçienda, its music thrived in close-knit communities, art colleges, and "sticky, carpeted" clubs. This 68-track anthology is praised for capturing a decade of radical resilience where commercial success was rarely the objective.

The collection’s strength lies in its refusal to place hits on a pedestal, instead mixing global names with obscure "one-hit wonders". Early post-punk tracks from The Mekons and Gang of Four represent the initial DIY response to punk's "big bang," while later discs chart the city's emergence as a goth powerhouse through The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission. Reviewers at AllMusic and PopMatters especially appreciate the inclusion of genre-bending acts like Delta 5 and Vicious Pink, which illustrate the scene's evolution toward industrial dance and electronic oddities.

While the musical curation is widely lauded, some critics have pointed out missed opportunities in the accompanying documentation. For instance, The Quietus argues that while the liner notes provide vital socio-political context, they occasionally skew toward a male-centric narrative, failing to fully credit the women promoters, writers, and photographers who were instrumental behind the scenes. Despite this, the inclusion of influential female-led groups like Girls At Our Best! and The Rhythm Sisters ensures that the "radical music made in the city" remains at the forefront.

Ultimately, the box set is hailed as a "fitting tribute" and a "sonic museum" by outlets like We Are Cult, serving as a definitive time capsule of West Yorkshire's creative fertility. By tracing the line from scratchy 1970s post-punk to the dream-pop peak of the Pale Saints in 1989, it offers a comprehensive look at how Leeds refused to conform to mainstream trends. For many, it serves as a reminder that the city’s spiritual home was, and remains, a "hotbed of creativity" that didn't just hold its breath—it expectorated.

Ripped to MP3

1. THE MEKONS Where Were You

2. ROUGE Have You Seen Gene

3. JERKS Cool

4. RATS AND DELICIOUS No Time

5. AGONY COLUMN (I Had It) All Worked Out

6. THE NEAT Hormones In Action (In My Heart)

7. GANG OF FOUR Damaged Goods (EMI Version)

8. SCRITTI POLITTI Messthetics

9. THE CITY LIMITS Morse-Code Messages

10. EXPELAIRES Sympathy (Don't Be Taken In)

11. THE ALWOODLEY JETS Crash ‘N Burn

12. GIRLS AT OUR BEST Getting Nowhere Fast

13. SHAKE APPEAL My Own Way

14. DELTA 5 You

15. KNIFE EDGE Favourite Girl

16. MUSIC FOR PLEASURE The Human Factor

17. THE SQUARES Buddy Holly

18. MIRROR BOYS At Tiffanys

19. DANCE CHAPTER Anonymity

20. THE BOYS Let It Rain

21. SOFT CELL A Man Can Get Lost

22. ABRASIVE WHEELS Army Song

23. ICON A.D. Fight For Peace

24. THE EXPELLED Government Policy

25. THE UNDERDOGS East Of Dachau

DISC TWO

1. THE SISTERS OF MERCY Temple Of Love

2. THE MARCH VIOLETS Religious As Hell

3. RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY Beating My Head

4. ANABAS Barricades

5. THE THREE JOHNS Do The Square Thing (7” Version)

6. VICIOUS PINK Cccan’t You See

7. TOM FAZZINI 16 Vessels

8. ANNIE HOGAN Executioners Song (Kickabye)

9. DÉJÀ VU Cut The Cross

10. FLOWERS FOR AGATHA Presentation

11. XERO SLINGSBY AND THE WORKS Hurricane Damage In Leeds (Live)

12. THE HOLLOW MEN Late Flowering Lust

13. ROSE OF AVALANCHE Goddess

14. THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX Moscow Idaho

15. SURFIN DAVE AND THE ABSENT LEGENDS Stateside Centre

16. AGE OF CHANCE I Don't Know and I Don't Care

17. THIRD CIRCLE Last Night Was The Best Night Of My Life

18. THE WEDDING PRESENT You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends

19. PINK PEG SLAX Boy From Leeds

20. DUSTDEVILS Seeds In The Spoil

21. THE MISSION Wasteland

22. SALVATION Thunderbird

DISC THREE

1. THE RHYTHM SISTERS Saturday Sunday Lazy Leeds Afternoons

2. RITZUN RATZUN ROTZER Noodleman

3. THE SINISTER CLEANERS Longing For Next Year

4. THE PROWLERS Life’s A Mystery

5. SON OF SAM Goodbye Junkie Jim…

6. LEN LIGGINS Life In Leeds City

7. GOOD SHEPHERDS Wallpaper Man

8. WMTID Go Big Red

9. MDMA Evidence

10. DRUG FREE AMERICA Day-Glo Pussycat

11. THE VAYNES Lick The Dirt

12. BAZOOKA JOE Hometown

13. CUD I've Had It With Blondes

14. THE SNAPDRAGONS The Things You Want

15. GROOVIN’ WITH LUCY Lenny’s Lament

16. PURPLE ETERNAL Trip#67 (live)

17. BRIDEWELL TAXIS Wild Boar

18. GHOST DANCE Celebrate

19. PALE SAINTS Sight Of You

20. GOLD FRANKINCENSE & DISK DRIVE Character Assassinator

21. THE EDSEL AUCTIONEER Our New Skin