The Setlist & The Script

There are few bands who can truly claim to be genreless in the way Alabama 3 are. A melting pot of blues, country, acid house, and pure outlaw attitude, their live shows are legendary for their chaos, charisma, and unwavering groove. At Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club on Sunday night, the self-proclaimed “sweetest, darkest, funniest, most anarchic band” delivered a set that felt like a sermon, a hoedown, and a rave all in one.

Opening with an unexpected but strangely fitting take on Hotel California, the band immediately set the tone for an evening of reinvention. Twisting the Eagles’ classic into their own drug-fuelled gospel, it was a reminder that Alabama 3 are, at heart, musical outlaws—turning tradition on its head and spitting it back out in their own image.

From there, the setlist was a journey through the highs and lows of their discography. Cocaine (Killed My Community) was a searing indictment wrapped in swagger, while Mansion on the Hill dripped with melancholy and menace. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Alabama 3 show without Woke Up This Morning—the song that gained them mainstream recognition as the theme to The Sopranos, but here, stripped of TV nostalgia, it was pure, unfiltered acid-blues hypnosis.

Deep cuts like U Don’t Dans 2 Tekno and Wade Into The Water kept the crowd moving, while their take on John Prine’s Speed of the Sound of Loneliness provided a moment of reflection amid the hedonism. They even found room for a bit of mischief—The Old Purple Tin (9% of Pure Heaven) cheekily morphed into a snippet of Purple Rain, only with the words “Purple Tin” swapped in, a nod to their love of cheap lager and irreverent humour.

The final stretch of the set was a glorious descent into madness. Ain’t Goin’ To Goa had the Brudenell bouncing, Hypo Full of Love (The 12 Step Plan) was a delirious sermon of salvation, and Mao Tse Tung Said was a revolutionary call to arms, all set to beats that could shake the foundations of any club. By the time Peace in the Valley closed the night, the Brudenell felt like a congregation, lifted to euphoria by a band that preaches sin and salvation in equal measure.

Alabama 3 might have been around for decades, but nights like this prove they remain one of the most vital and unpredictable live acts around. Whether baptising their audience in blues, house, or whiskey-soaked country, they continue to do what they do best—bringing the revolution to the dancefloor.