Having released their self-titled debut album at the beginning of the week, Yuck took their headline tour to a unique and endearing venue, Norwich Arts Centre. Upon entering the venue, you are immediately struck by its quirky features; the bar and dj room is hardly uncommon, however the thin corridor which leads to a church hall, the location of the gig is puzzling yet charming.
Shortly after 8p.m., four piece 2:54 took to the stage; they failed to address the audience before opening their set which often can be a sign of nervousness. The silent staring crowd probably did not help matters. The band played a selection of demos which were enjoyable, demonstrating an indie sound differing from many generic bands. It is clear that sisters Hannah and Colette, supported by a talented drummer and base player have potential, exemplified by support from djs including Zane Lowe. However, their lack of showmanship and stage presence made watching them awkward and difficult to engage with. Nonetheless, 2:54 improved with every track and were well received by the audience, this had a positive effect on them as they grew in confidence and became increasingly relaxed. The band are new comers to the touring circuits, yet with a selection demonstrating intelligent and thought provoking lyrics I would imagine greater things to come in the future. Check them out if you get a chance.
Listen to Creeping (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o7XZdAp9QE&feature=related)
Next on the bill were Fanzine who looked like they were having a weekend off from studying for their GCSEs; the group were bearing Fred Perry polos, a Lacoste jumper, a plain grey hoodie and a trapper hat respectively, it seemed that a conventional indie group had arrived on stage via Topman. This initial assumption was put into jeopardy when lead singer proclaimed 'we are Limp Bizkit and tonight we'll be doing Fanzine covers'. The next half an hour proved my initial assumption be correct as the band arrogantly rattled through songs of varying quality that had the common feature of indistinctive and unspectacular lyrics. It must be noted that the drummer (whose name have been unable to obtain!) played exceptionally well and that the overall on stage performance of the group showed youthful exuberance which saw the band benefit from a more engrossed and receptive crowd. Undoubtedly Fanzine need to improve and develop, time is on their side and be it together or separately there is potential for a successful musical future for the entire group.
Listen to Susan (http://www.myspace.com/fanzinetheband)
Having waited for many days for this moment, I was treated to Daniel Blumberg's new project, Yuck. His 'new' band follows a thoroughly enjoyable if not short period writing and touring with former group Cajun Dance Party (CDP), a band who I have great respect and admiration for especially as in they're of a similar age to me and were writing exceptionally catchy and joyful songs about experiences which I could relate to. Upon listening to their album, it appears that Blumberg is trying to move away from CDP, a band who were able to establish a small passionate cult following without enjoying wider success that their incredible talents deserved. Arguably, CDPs utilisation of vibrant and alternative clothing (especially the colourful dresses worn by gorgeous keyboard player Vicky Freund) detracted attention away from the musical ability and craft of the band. It is clear that Yuck are trying to avoid this obvious comparison and this is epitomised by Blumberg choosing to perform from stage right, instead of his more central and prominent position in Cajun Dance Party. It seems he is determined to minimise the attention on him and provide a platform for Yuck to showcase their individual and collective talents and to diminish the salience of appearance and theatrical performance.
The opening track demonstrates the change in direction for Blumberg, Holing Out incorporates dominant and grungey rifts played by Max on electric guitar and outstanding drumming reminiscent from Johnny which makes the track sound as if it should belong in the early 90s amongst the likes of Nirvana and The Stone Roses. The same could be said of the excellently written fans favourite Georgia which is destined to be a catchy highlight for festival goers this summer. The simplicity of The Wall is most definitely worth a listen, describing the difficulties of overcoming obstacles and issues.
The band performed the majority of the album in their hour long set, even including older tracks from previous EPs including Milkshake. Having listened to the band for the past few years it was pleasing for tracks such as this to be played, especially as I had only heard them recorded in on a demo which was not as technically advanced as it might have been.
Furthermore, it is pleasing to hear that Yuck maintain the encapsulating sound that CDP produced, whilst writing with greater ingenuity about thought provoking subjects in a subtle and intelligent way. The beautifully composed lovesong Suck exemplifies the maturity in Blumberg's writing; 'you can never burn out my love for you' is far deeper than the brilliant yet slightly superficial lovesong The Race which he wrote over four years ago.
The set ended with Suicide Policeman, an exceptionally moving and powerful song that is articulately written and which was performed with great precision by the band and finally an enjoyable seven minute rendition of Rubber. Unfortunately, this wasn't followed by an encore which would have been appreciated considering the omision of Sunday and non-album track Daughter, however the crowd had undoubtedly had their monies worth and had enjoyed a fantastic evening watching one of the most talented and hotly tipped bands of 2011.
Related Links:
2:54 on Myspace http://www.myspace.com/thetwofiftyfour
Fanzine on Myspace http://www.myspace.com/fanzinetheband
The Purple Room (Review of Holing Out) http://thepurpleroom-ryan0108.blogspot.com/search?q=yuck
iTunes: Georgia is this weeks free download!
Yuck on Myspace http://www.myspace.com/yuckband
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Saturday, 12 February 2011
The Shockwaves NME Tour in Norwich - 11th February
Last night I attended the Shockwaves NME Tour in Norwich, a tour which is renowned for showcasing a mixture of upcoming artists and established headline acts. As has been the case for many years, the 2011 tour consists of four acts, this year they were (in order of appearance); The Vaccines, Everything Everything, Magnetic Man and Crystal Castles.
The evening was opened by The Vaccines; who are hotly tipped by music experts and fans to make a positive impact in 2011. Their debut album What did you expect from The Vaccines? is released on March 14th, I am greatly anticipating this release based on the few tracks that I have already heard. The band recently finished third in a BBC poll predicting the Sound of 2011.
On stage The Vaccines combine a Ramones-esque punk sound with charismatic showmanship performing fan favourites such as Post Break Up Sex and Wreckin’ Bar Ra Ra Ra to rapturous audience acclaim. It was pleasing to see an opening act receive such a positive and energetic response from the audience, especially as many of the tracks played are yet to be released. I must add that in my experience audiences in Norwich have been very receptive of new acts. My favourite track of the entire evening was If You Wanna which highlights the problem of moving onfrom an ex-partner, incorporating witty lyrics such as 'I don't wanna do things independently but I can't make you stay. That's what all my friends I don't like as much as you say'. It was performed passionately by the four piece who seemed more relaxed whilst playing a song which hasn’t been as closely scrutinised and reviewed by the media.
Second on the bill were Everything Everything, a band who have emerged as a significant indie-pop act over the past few years. Their debut album Man Alive which was released in 2010 (despite work of the album dating back as far as 2008) has proved a success, reaching number 17 on the UK album chart, a considerable feat for an alternative act competing in a generic and highly commercialised market.
As a live band, Everything Everything utilise innovative keyboard playing and a strong drum beat to produce catchy songs, which are particularly invigorating when performed live. As enjoyable as singles Photoshop Handsome and Suffragette Suffragette were, lead singer Jonathan Higgs seemed slightly nervous which appeared to spread to the other members of the group. A slight lack of confidence is understandable especially considering their alternative vocals and their rapid increase in popularity, however their stage presence does need improving if they are to reach their potential as a live band. Perhaps smaller venues are the best way to see this talented band in their element at this moment in time.
The penultimate act were Magnetic Man, a collaboration of electronic and dubsteb artists, all of whom are highly regarded in their field. The ‘band’ emerged to four laptops and were greeted by an exhilarated crowd eagerly anticipating the next forty minutes. As I touched upon earlier, the beauty of this tour is the variety and diversity of acts; however I do find it difficult to comprehend how artists using laptops and an MC to spark the crowd can be truly considered as live music. Personally the music played seemed stereotypical of alternative club music and had no features that distinguished it as a live performance. Having listened to and enjoyed the single Fire, I was disappointed to find that without Ms. Dynamites’ powerful voice the track was merely another four minute reverberation in an uninspiring set. Using a crude example; you wouldn’t buy a ticket to an Arctic Monkeys concert and then willingly accept news that Alex Turner was unavailable to perform, but the rest of the band would attempt to improvise.
My biggest issue was that I felt I could have been in any club anywhere in the world listening to this set. In my opinion the reliance on laptops/Macs immensely devalues live music and removes a crucial factor of live performance; being able to see the technical skills which a group possess. Magnetic Man’s use of laptops made the performance seem rehearsed and made the set seem less unique.
I must point out that Magnetic Man received the greatest audience acclaim which baffled me; to me the music seems pretentious and a way of gaining status and respect within youth subcultures.Perhaps I am misguided and should be considering how influential dubstep is in terms of appealing to a wider range of ethnicities than indie music for example. If so then why is this? Why is indie music dominated by white bands and how can this be changed? In comparison dubstep artists appear to come from a considerably wider racial demographic. Obviously this alone can’t be the reason for its popularity as music isn’t judged on race, but taste.
Back to the gig itself; Crystal Castles headlined the stage playing for approximately fifty minutes. Their lively if not considerably trashy style seemed to appeal to the audience even if their lyrics were indecipherable and their set seemingly a single song with the occasional slight variation. Overall I was disappointed with the headline act, I felt they relied too much on their lighting and eccentric performance and didn’t focus heavily enough on musical content. However, I must congratulate and praise lead vocalist Alice Glass for playing despite having her foot in a cast and requiring a crutch for the entire set.
Please post comments below or facebook message me (nico.bryant). If you disagree with anything I’ve said please take me up on it J Cheers
Songs referenced by band;
The Vaccines:
Post Break Up Sex (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU9hrd35Dsg )
Wreckin' Bar Ra Ra Ra (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=097-9oDzzqo )
If You Wanna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNYdXs85438)
Everything Everthing:
Qwerty Finger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-hOTutTcyc)
Photoshop Handsome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5h2LRvBQ5Q)
Magnetic Man feat. Ms Dynamite:
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