Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
17th May 2026
Delilah Bon brings the Brudenell Social Club together with a blistering show to raise money for those affected by ICE raids.
Walking into the Brudenell Social Club, I’m immediately greeted by a sea of fans decked out in Brat Punk chic. On either side of the stage, there are two messages: TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS and DEAD MEN DON’T RAPE. The merch stall is rammed and filled with handmade crafts to help raise funds for those affected by ICE raids in the US. As Delilah Bon, Lauren ‘Maverick’ Tate has created something loud, bold and fiercely outspoken. There’s a real buzz in the room that simply doesn’t care that it’s a rainy Sunday night.
First up, we’re introduced to the self-anointed Queen of Flow, Crae Wolf. The East London-based musician uses rap, metal and a completely unexpected abundance of twerking to set the Brudenell stage alight. Joined by a guitarist and drummer, Wolf is clearly having a blast and soon has us eating from her palm. The band marks their territory with a generous helping of heavy grooves and sultry riffs while the singer gets the crowd barking “wolf” like fully fledged members of her ever-growing pack.
It’s banger after banger as the trio unleash their Baddie Metal Core anthems. Whip Rock feels like they’ve harnessed the power of a small yet formidable tornado while Forward – their latest single – sees Crae’s hypnotic flow married to some Deftones-worthy fuzz. My favourite might very well be the addictive and effortlessly cool Buzz Trip (which hits a little different at first when I mishear the title as Bus Trip). Expect to hear outbursts of howling across the country when their debut album arrives later this year.
The lights go red, and an ominous rumble fills the air, accompanied by Trumps voice and news reports about ICE. The band – including Hands Off Gretel bassist Becky Baldwin – take to the stage as the tension builds. Suddenly, Illegal Aliens kicks in, and Delilah Bon comes out swinging. “ORGANISE DEFY RESIST”, she shouts in the midst of a dark, hip-hop metal hybrid that covers everything from Gaza and trans rights to ICE and inequality. It’s a raging state of the world address that serves up pure, straight from the heart catharsis.
While some music shies away from any kind of overt statement, Delilah Bon delivers her message with a clear and utterly empowering clarity. I mean, things don’t get any clearer than an exhilarating middle finger anthem, I Don’t Listen To You. The audience – full of the bands ever-faithful Bon Bons – responds in kind. Middle fingers and fists fill the air as lyrics are yelled and looks of euphoric release pass over our faces. An unspoken yet unanimous agreement that this – Delilah Bon and Co. tearing up the Brudenell – is exactly what we’ve needed all year long.
Grown Ass Men and the brilliantly named Chop Dicks pack a punch with Riot Grrrl rage, humour and raucous nu metal-inspired racket. Mix all that with lyrics that tackle the patriarchy and self-defence, and you’ve got something appropriately explosive. “The matriarchy… people think it’s like the patriarchy,” Tate explains in a brief moment of calm, “But it’s about the children, not the war.” With a load of insecure and maniacal men in charge, it’s an equation that makes a lot of sense.
Bon’s songs feel like a collective – and long overdue – scream; each track ploughing into its prey like a juggernaut. Cinderella and Dead Men Don’t Rape go straight for the jugular, while the heavy hip-hop of Times Up tackles abuse, justice and Epstein Island. Songs and performances as powerful as this put the silent firmly in the shade. “It’s the same everywhere,” Tate accurately observes, “we are not angry enough.”
When the band and Bon dial the sonic fury back a little, the songs remain just as impactful. War On Women is spine-tingling and highlights Tate’s ridiculously impressive range while Not The President is a grungy, stripped back anti-ode to the big orange fascist in The White House. The latter was specifically written for her US fans after she had to cancel a tour due to concerns about safety. Oozing empathy and compassion, you can practically hear Tate’s heart travelling across the Atlantic.
Near the end of the show, Baldwin thanks everyone and namechecks the various charities that the band is raising money for. This is how you bring people together. As Tate herself clarifies, “It’s all about love and acceptance.” As I leave, I pick up a small handmade heart from the merch stall with three words stitched into the fabric: ORGANISE DEFY RESIST. With all the hate, confusion and terrible singing that we’ve seen from the Unite The Kingdom rally, all of this really couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
~
Delilah Bon can be found on Instagram, Facebook and her website.
The charities the band are raising money for can all be found on Instagram: Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, ACLU and The Bond Between.
You can find Crae Wolf on Instagram.
Photos by Neil Chapman (Unholy Racket). You can visit his author profile for Louder Than War and find him on Facebook and Instagram.
All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.
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