Raging for change with Delilah Bon

Last week I went to see the fantastic Delilah Bon in Leeds at her charity gig to raise money for causes supporting the people and animals in the US affecting by the horrific ICE raids - The Bond Between, ACLU and the Women's Foundation Of Minnesota. The show was scheduled around the time that Delilah was supposed to be touring the southern states of the US but due to safety concerns for her & her band and the audience she was forced to cancel the tour. 

I've been raving about Delilah and her music for a couple of years now, her Evil Hate Filled Female release was my favourite album in my 2024 Music Blog and after seeing her for the first time last year (read my blog about it here) I was determined to see her again as soon as I could. So off to Leeds I went for an adventure. 

The train journey was nice and simple and a really quick 2 and a bit hours from Kings Cross to Leeds. Once I arrived I decided that a pit stop for lunch was needed and helpfully found a Wetherspoons under the flightpath to the airport ...

Lunch in the sun

I stayed at a Premier Inn and loved the purple bathroom 😆

After a tactical nap it was time to get ready for the show. I wanted to look cute so I wore my spikes (someone in the crowd told me I looked like "an emo statue of liberty" I now consider this the greatest compliment ever paid to me!).

I got chatting to some really nice people in the queue (applause please for the autistic person speaking to strangers!) including the lovely Mila and a couple of girls (I never got their names 😓) who had made some awesome signs to fit into the protest theme of the evening. 

Shout it loud!

More signs at the sides of the stage -

Before the show I had the chance to meet Delilah and she was so so nice. She was so patient with my Autistic/ADHD mumbling and took the time to listen to me when I thanked her for her music and told her that it was helping me through my PTSD from being bullied for being a 'freak'. I told her that I wished I'd had her music when I was a teenager and she told me "You have me now" which just meant the world. My only regret was forgetting to pose for a photo with her as I was so overwhelmed meeting her. I did manage to get a selfie which may also be one of the worst photos of me ever taken 😂

The support act was Crae Wolf who I'd been wanting to see for ages!

She has a really unique sound of 'Baddie Metal Core' and a beautiful voice. 

As you'll see from the photos from the rest of the show I was so close to the stage.The photos and videos are all from my phone and only a tiny bit zoomed!

She was the perfect opener and got the crowd dancing and hyped up. 

Delilah came on with raging energy and for the rest of the show she and the audience barely took a breath. 

In these times of hate and danger to so many vulnerable communities, such as the LGBTQIA community, Non-binary and Transgender, People of colour, Disabled and the scary racketing up of threats to women both worldwide and here in the UK, Delilah screams for change and we scream with her. 

Princeless Princess is always fun to scream along to!

There were two incredibly special moments of the show for me. The first was during 'Not The President' (already an incredibly emotional song written in response to Trump's re-election back in 2024) where Delilah holds the hands of the audience members to reflect her promise in the song to hold the hands of us Bon Bons. 

As she came along to my side of the stage she actually held out her hand to hold mine and sang to me too 💓. I've been on the hunt ever since for any photos or footage of the moment which has lead to me laughing at several photos where my, er, 'gig face' has been immortalised ...

Aaaand now back to the show with my favourite photo I got of the evening. 

The absolute highlight of the show for me was during the performance of 'Maverick' (my favourite Delilah song) when Delilah and her band joined the crowd right next to me to dance together. 

Please excuse the video angle, my technophobe brain can't work out how to turn it landscape on my photo or laptop 🙇

I do however adore these screengrabs I got from the video. 

Delilah shared this shot on her Instagram a couple of days ago, you can see yet another flattering shot of me above the cameraman in the bottom right of the photo. 

At least my make-up looks good!

After a final dance to 'Bush' the show was over.

And it was time for a rock n' roll cuppa back at the hotel!

I still have so many emotions a week after the show. It was both humbling and inspiring to come together with people from all walks of life to both rage and protest for change but also to celebrate how special we are. It was a warning that those who abuse their power and other people will be held to account. It was a promise to scream for the rights of women to decide how they live their lives and to have control of their bodies. It was a promise to scream for the right to love who we want and to protect the trans and non-binary communities. 

Most importantly it was a reminder that love and kindness screams louder than hate. 

Love Jen

XxxX