A new song celebrating the collectivity of being a Leeds United fan, and referencing Beeston’s landmarks, is released tomorrow (29 March 2024).
‘Wesley Street’ has been written by Dom Grace and Andy Clare, both Beeston born and bred, who perform as Bitter Mass. Dom said of the song:
“I really wanted to discuss becoming class conscious via football but it doesn’t make for a catchy chorus.”
“I wanted to write something that explained how loving a football club is wrapped up in so many more things than deciding to follow your local team. For me my earliest memory is of holding my Dad’s hand and walking among the buzzing throng down Wesley Street and knowing not just that this would be a part of my life from now on and forever but that I had also found my tribe – I belonged to them and they belonged to me.
“And then arriving at the ground and emerging with that first ever sight of the pitch, the green so bright amid this concrete and steel cathedral. It was the closest thing to actual, real-life, magic that I have ever experienced.
“From that moment, what Eddie, Billy and Sniffer did, they did for me and my tribe. I think as I got older and became more class-conscious my feeling of kinship with the other supporters, and beyond the ground and into South Leeds, only grew. My streets, my tribe, my team. I know who I am and where I’m from and I’m proud of it.
“We wanted to show how supporting a club, in our case Leeds, is so much more than a matter of picking a side and following them. It’s tied up with all the emotions that go with family and community. It’s a very emotional thing. Almost like the American concept of Faith, Flag and Family. Belief, pride and community. So, for us singing about Leeds, it’s a bit like a gospel song, talking about a sense of belonging, of finding your tribe, of finding love. More than anything else, this is a love song.”
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