Yard Act & Gustaf

Back in 2022, YARD ACT blew the roof off NAC, delivering what was, for me, one of the sets of that year. With a mix of funked-up post-punk-indie-rap-rock, surreal poetry and chat bordering on the bizarre, I had to question how Yard Act would translate to the LCR. Well, they have lost the mid-set poetry recitals, the between song chat now borders on the normal and, for the most part, the transition works. I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed this as much as the NAC show but I love NAC as a venue, I am a tad less keen on the LCR and Yard Act delivered. 

Coming on like a cross between Jarvis Cocker, John Cooper Clark and Luke Wright, there is a tongue in cheek arrogance about vocalist James Smith that stays the right side of the line between entertaining and irritating. Ryan Needham (bass) and Sam Shipstone (guitar) look like they’ve stolen Urge Overkill’s shirts before raiding the Bad Seeds’ suit cupboard. Along with drummer Jay Russell they provide a superb foundation for Smith. I dunno whether keys man Christopher and backing singers/percussionists Daisy and Lauren are full time members of the band or not but they add flare and sparkle. Daisy and Lauren’s energy and enthusiasm is thoroughly infectious.  The “spin the-wheel-to-pick-the-early-song” game could’ve been cheesy in lesser hands but proved pretty entertaining and no one was disappointed when The Trapper’s Pelts came up. 

After a relatively restrained start, a fair proportion of the audience were dancing and pogoing like loons by the end. Of course, not everyone wanted to be dragged into the pit - and I am one of those that didn’t - and a couple of blokes were a touch too enthusiastic in the exhortations to dance but it was all pretty good natured. 

Art-punks GUSTAF opened proceedings in fine style. Their sound isn’t a million miles from Yard Act’s but with a healthy injection of New York no wave thrown into the mix. “Auxiliary bass” and flute playing vocalist Lydia Gammill is a seemingly effortlessly cool cross between a less manic Iggy Pop and Kim Gordon with a dash of Courtney Barnett about her delivery. Tine Hill’s bass is both driving and dubby with just a touch of PiL-era Wobble. Vram Kherlopian’s choppy guitar work recalls both Wire and The Pop Group. Without being in any way minimalist or rudimentary, drummer Melissa Lucciola somehow hits a sweet spot between Moe Tucker and Jaki Liebezeit. All of those comparisons are Very Good Things Indeed. Percussionist and vocalist Tarra Thiessen is simply a bouncing ball of energy throughout and the sheer joi de vivre she brings is something to behold. Oh, and one of my peculiar pet hates is that every band that I have ever seen from Brooklyn - before tonight - has had to tell that to the audience umpteen times during their set. Kudos to Gustaf for bucking the trend by not mentioning Brooklyn at all and only mentioning New York once....