It’s quite staggering how quickly Yard Act have moved up the ladder through Manchester’s venues. Yes, upstairs and down, The White Hotel, The Ritz, to tonight in Albert Hall, where they feel just as at ease. Not that they’ve not worked bloody hard to get here, it’s just wonderful to see it pay off.
It’s also wonderful to see them bring along bands like the excellent Thank. I’ve seen this lot a few times and they are absolutely stunning. They’re the very definition of uncompromising though and I’m intrigued to see how the more fair weather Yard Act fans take to them. Freddie always looks unassuming taking to the stage, but fuck me he pulls no punches, ripping into ‘Commemorative Coin’ as a mere warm up. As I look around, there are quite a few stunned faces. The sound in here suits them, the drums, always massive sounds absolutely lethal. ‘Punching Bag’ gets a louder cheer though as the shock wears off and by ‘Good Boy’ they’ve defiantly gained some new fans. The sounds is brutal, but it’s testament to Freddie’s glorious deadpan screaming vocals that they cut through delightfully. They’ve got a lot more space up there than they had in Gullivers last month and they look a lot more comfortable, blasting through a catalogue that’s already an impressive mix of rhythm heavy darkness and ferocious noise. The lad on the desk delivering the electronic assault (I really need to learn more names) sums it up. He bounces and contorts to the music magnificently, he’s the visual embodiment of how this makes you feel. Brilliant. On record they are excellent, but they really do have to be seen live to appreciate just how great they are. Alright they’re not going to have a number one are they, they’d terrify the Saturday night masses ignorantly walking by on the street outside, but who gives a fuck. ‘Dread’ brings us to a close, with a looser take that see’s Freddie drop verses from ‘Ive Had the Time of My Life’ and leaves me grinning like an idiot. The bloke behind him declares them “dreadful”, but I guess life would be dull if we all liked the same stuff. It’s getting uncomfortably busy as the haircuts file in for Yard Act. This you see is the cost of success, the morons arrive. Why do people turn up to gigs pissed? It really fucks me off as they stumble their way to the front. If you want to be at the front, get in early and watch the support you knobheads.
Anyway to Yard Act. Who take to the stage like they’ve already conquered, such is their confidence. James telling us last night in Glasgow was the best gig of his life. Gauntlet down. ‘Rich’ eases us in with some gentle audience participation. Before ‘Dead Horse’ clicks up another notch. It stays relatively calm though. Aside the small pit that forms in the centre of the floor. ‘Dark Days’ puts pay to that as it bounces out the speakers, the temperature rising with Sam shredding his guitar and I mistakenly rub the arse of the bloke in front of me. We then get a flurry of new stuff that sounds good and points the way forward in a promising direction. Distorted mics, scratchy guitars. What’s not to love. Even the pissed morons have stopped wobbling and seem genuinely taken. This band feel like they’re in transition to the next album, but on the strength of these songs it’s going to be a belter just like the first. Part satirical beat poet, part indie frontman. James commands a stage and an audience. We’re collectively captivated, poised and waiting the next move. The turbo pedal is hit for ‘Witness (Can I Get A?)’’ and Albert Hall predicable goes off for a punk rock minute. It’s the trigger for the more known stuff with ‘Land of the Blind’ getting the crowd singing… and throwing money onstage, as is the custom. Clever racket really. ‘Pour Another’ is the indie disco banger it’s always been, but in a bigger room it really comes into its own as the floor space surges in a sea of limbs and ‘Payday’ threatens to bring the Albert Hall upstairs downstairs as even the more sedate patrons bounce. People grab strangers as they tear through ‘The Overload’ at a terrifying pace, before we do the absurd encore palaver and they return for a beautiful version of ‘100% Endurance’. There’s something special about sold out audiences singing songs back like this. It’s special. It’s what makes live music special. It’s what’s makes Yard Act special. They finish with ‘The Trapper’s Pelts’, James dancing like his skeleton has melted. This is the song that first got me into Yard Act and took me to those small rooms to discover one of the best bands around. I don’t know how we compared to Glasgow but Manchester, I loved that x
