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
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