British Yard Act and the American group Gustaf played on Thursday at the Rock City club in Nottingham. We have some photos from this concert and a short review from Chris Gould.
Thursday is almost Friday, which means the beginning of the weekend. Everyone knows that the weekend is time to party! This time, Thursday evening in Rock City can be considered more of a party event! The club was absolutely bursting at the seams. Audiences of all ages gathered in large numbers to participate in the concert of one of the hottest bands of recent years – Yard Act.
Punk art performance
Yard Act were supported by art punks from New York, Gustaf. It’s an eclectic performance by the New Yorker rockers. Lydia Gamill stalks the stage, a theatrical, over-the-top performance which drags people away from the bars and into the room. They’re one of the first bands we’ve seen with supporting percussion made up of children’s toys, coffee cans and a rubber chicken… „it was only a dream” sings Tarra and there’s a definitely surreal quality to their blend of art rock. Gustaf will also be headlining their own show in London on this tour and with a performance like this we’re expecting great things from them.
„Do you want to consume us?”
Yard Act exploded onto the scene in 2021 with their debut album, The Overload. Post-punk? Indie Rock? Labels didn’t really matter to the lads from Leeds who borrowed from several genres to create a unique sound that led to them being nominated for a Mercury Prize.
Yard Act are touring to promote their newest album and as they take to the stage at Rock City, the title is emblazoned across the backline in vivid neon – Where’s my Utopia? It’s the sound of a band in transition, gone is the righteous, post-punk, anger of 2021 and in its place is an introspective effort heavy on indie riffs and dance-inspired groove.
Vocalist James Smith commands the stage as he rips through acerbic verses. It’s an older crowd at Rock City tonight but as Yard Act launch into Dead Horse the whole room is bouncing. Yard Act seem to be most comfortable playing their back catalogue, and it’s difficult to tell whether James is being sarcastic or reflective when he asks the audience „who preferred our earlier work?”.
Yard Act are known for embracing surprise and unpredictability, and tonight is no different. Shane Embury from Napalm Death cameos on a raucous cover of Motorhead’s „Ace of Spades” and the Rock City faithful explode into a mayhem of crowd surfers and mosh pits. The extended encore of The Trench Coat Museum feels a little self-indulgent, but you also get the feeling that the band needs this connection and moment with the audience.
