Yard Act / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham

May 30

May 30 Yard Act / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham

It’s not that long since Yard Act were last in Nottingham, having performed an intimate show at The Bodega in March this year, handing out Crème Eggs to the crowd (so mad I missed that !) This time, they were heading to the larger Rescue Rooms and a sell out crowd…

First up, we were entertained by Nuha Ruby Ra. Not everyone’s cup of tea I guess from some of the reactions, but this was an enjoyable start to the night. Intense just doesn’t seem a strong enough word to describe Nuha Ruby Ra’s music. Standing alone on the stage, the music provided by a groovebox on the floor, Nuha Ruby Ra goes on to deliver a powerful, almost confrontational & visceral performance. Often singing into two microphones to create echoes, and with a vocal style running from soft and delicate to manic screams the effect is mesmerising. It’s loud like Nova Twins, it’s manic, like the best punk bands and yet…… different. Almost hypnotic. I really enjoyed it. I think the room was split, it’s not like Yard Act, and so perhaps some were not expecting anything so ‘cutting edge’ but for me, very enjoyable.

The large crowd were ready for Yard Act. Currently one of the most exciting bands on the UK scene, and causing waves across the pond too. Their debut EP “Dark Days” is one of my favourites of the year and their debut album released in January 2022 “The Overload” is simply phenomenal.

Many see Yard Act as a modern Pulp, and there are similarities, but for me, they have a feel to them more akin to the utterly brilliant Half Man Half Biscuit, with their quirky lyrics and form of delivery. At times they almost sound like them too despite the obvious accent barrier (Liverpool / Leeds) !

This was a show I had been looking forward to. Not just because Yard Act I really like them, but also because I was worried how they would be live. Having seen the videos on YouTube of them performing live on US TV, I hate to say it but sometimes the vocals just didn’t work as well as they do on vinyl. Without the production, they didn’t always seem to fit, or felt awkward….. Time to find out if that was over produced US TV or for real…..

The set opens with the title track from their debut album Overload and set the standard straight away. Followed by Dark Horse and single Payday they are soon into their stride. These were closely followed by Land of the Blind and Rich. Their ability to use a wonderful quirky humorous style to deliver sometimes quite strong political and social messages is exceptional.

A highlight of the set was their performance of Tall Poppies, and it is the perfect example of the brilliance of frontman James Smith, who was on impressive form tonight. Effortlessly engaging in banter with the audience one minute and the next delivering a stunning and passionate spoken-word piece during the aforementioned Tall Poppies which had the rest of the band silent as he delivered the sad lyrics in a spine-tingling fashion….. just wow.

The chemistry the four-piece have is fantastic too. You can just tell they love what they do, but they love doing it together. The guitar playing of Sam Shjipstone needs special mention and is top notch. With a style akin to Bowen from IDLES it’s the glue that holds everything together. But having said that Jay Russell’s drumming underpins it all brilliantly, and Ryan Needham’s bass playing is outstanding too, especially on tracks like Rich where the heavy pounding bass beat drives the track along so brilliantly. You could just perform this one with James on vocals and Ryan on bass lol.

The lyrics can be profound and politically astute. The words for Dead Horse summing up the post Brexit chaos, and divide so eloquently:

“The last bastion of hope, This once-great nation had left is its humor. So be it, through continued mockery, This crackpot country half-full of c**ts, Will finally have the last laugh, When dragged underwater, By the weight of the tumor it formed when it fell for the fear mongering, of the national fronts new hairdo”

But they ca also be so so hilarious too, and this variety is great, for example in Payday;

“What constitutes a ghetto? Is it growing your own lettuces in the potholes on the road? Do the locals have to eat them all if they don't sell em? I call potholes concrete meadows of the soul”

And thats what is so good about Yard Act, they don’t take themselves too seriously, enjoying themselves and sometimes getting a message across about the world.

Did they disappoint ? No, not at all….. Maybe it was just something about US prime time TV, but live at the Rescue Rooms, it all worked together brilliantly.

I so hope these guys go on to much bigger and better things. They certainly have the style, appeal and ability to do it. Their live performances certainly live up to the recordings, and actually, they are the kind of band you just have to experience live.

Watch out for Yard Act at a venue near you soon…..

Setlist:

The Overload (The Overload)

Dark Horse (The Overload)

Payday (The Overload)

Land of the Blind (The Overload)

The Incident (The Overload)

Rich (The Overload)

Dark Days (Dark Days EP)

Peanuts (Dark Days EP)

Tall Poppies (The Overload)

Pour Another (The Overload)