AN AUTHENTIC HOMECOMING FOR ENGLISH TEACHER IN LEEDS

LIVE REVIEW | ENGLISH TEACHER w/ The Orielles | O2 ACADEMY LEEDS | 22nd November 2025 by Gracie Erskine

A year on from winning the prestigious Mercury Prize, English Teacher return to Leeds to remind everyone what all the fuss is out.

Many bands ‘from’t’ North rely on their observational outlook, particularly filling the spectators chair in working class life. Alex Turner in Arctic Monkey’s debut ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’, Jarvis Cocker in Pulp’s ‘Different Class’ and now Lily Fontaine joins the cast with English Teacher’s ‘This Could Be Texas’. But Saturday evening couldn’t have been any further from Texas, the O2 Academy reigned in hometown pride, masking the cultural deprivation that West Yorkshire has bestowed for years- it truly felt like home.

The Orielles

Halifax finest The Orielles warmed the stage for English Teacher, with their ethereal uppercut of a set. The Orielles balance delicacy with danger, their sound has a playful nature that teases you. You think it’s the climax then oh no, it drops you down again- like every ride at Blackpool finishing then chucking you back in reverse. On record the band propose a more gentle purpose, sonically varying and layered fruitfully however, almost passive. Saturday’s set revoked this notion as the trio formed a cosmic triangle. Head-banging breakdowns and transcendent interludes formed some kind of mystic ritual cranked to eleven. Whilst Henry Wade of the band attacks the keys like FatBoy Slim, Esmé Dee Hand-Halford vocals dusts the fire in a juxtaposing attitude that could only compare to the idea of chewing on velvet. Whilst indulgent and ‘tangent-y’ it was freeing prelude for the Leeds quartet.

English Teacher

Three quarters of an hour passed, a late start for Saturday’s at the O2, but a worthwhile one nonetheless. Humble and solemn the band walk out, a shared disbelief circulated between them and the crowd. Fontaine recites title track ‘This Could Be Texas’ in that breathy and earnest manner she delivers so well, it prick your ears and seals the words to your brain. The rolling drums and pumping bass of R&B houses as a reminder of the speed, bang and fury the band possess, but the real beauty of the set proceeds.

The show is a construct of admiration, to perceive, to listen, to leave and have learnt. A spotlight casts the curtain as the band play musical chairs for ‘Broken Biscuits‘; touring musician Blossom Caldrarone invites soul sinking depth with her cello. Eye-wide, tears brimming in the lash line, ‘Mastermind Specialism’ is one of those songs that tickles the emotional itch, inundated with cultural references and intertwined with agony, it truly depicts inner turmoil. Even more so when shared with a thousand other people, despite feeling like the spotlight has reversed and it’s being played out just for you.

Through the set, vocalist Lily Fontaine reminds you just how cool she is. Sporting a snazzy ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ jumper, holding a right set of pipes and selling out the O2- yeah, the band are deserving of the Mercury Prize on just that- but it gets better. Thus far, the show has been a gradual incline, inviting more movement and more involvement, the social shackles are wearing thin for the crowd as ‘I’m Not Crying You’re Crying’ and ‘The Worlds Biggest Paving Slab‘ grease them off. After a step in the world building beauty of their debut, the teachers round up the class for a mosh-pit inducing lesson. ‘Nearly Daffodils’ reignites the flame, and all the ‘Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire’ chants that follow. The performance alone induced a reception that can only be compared to the winning of Best Picture at Cannes Festival.

Whilst the band were mesmerising in their own skill, the unity and pride for the band from the crowd came close. The band eclipsed the stage in their wondrous variety, making ‘English Teacher’ feel much more like music class. Fontaine declared the band were off to Oporto Bar after the show, and whilst that may be a dismal choice, the evening was well worth celebrating.