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“Who among you is a fan of our previous work?” inquires James Smith, frontman of Yard Act, to the audience. It seems this is a question he has been pondering as well. A lucky audience member is invited on stage to spin a wheel, granting a rare opportunity to hear a randomly chosen song from the band’s 2021 debut EP, Dark Days. The wheel lands on the title track as the band eagerly performs the sharp and edgy post-punk sound that propelled them to success during the lockdown period.
After three years, the band seems to no longer be satisfied with the music they previously created and intentionally moved away from the post-punk genre. They have now come back with a new electronic rock style, including the use of synthesizers, saxophones, and new backup vocalists with basslines inspired by the ESG. In songs like “When the Laughter Stops,” they adopt a similar sound to LCD Soundsystem, with elongated beats and trance-like rhythms, while “Dream Job” has a more pub-rock disco feel reminiscent of Ian Dury.
After that, Napalm Death’s Shane Embury joins them for a performance of Motörhead’s Ace of Spades, which is incredibly enjoyable despite the unexpected team-up. As they continue to play older songs, the band’s energy starts to wane. Payday lacks the punch and vigor it once had, unremarkably playing out instead. However, the final song 100% Endurance, from their first album, ends on a high note with a burst of jarring harmony.
Currently, Yard Act resembles a musical group struggling to define their identity. Riding the wave of a sudden surge in popularity, they are now contemplating: what is our true identity? While they continue to establish a distinctive and stable identity, they seem to be enjoying themselves as they distance themselves from their troubled past and move towards a brighter future.
Source: theguardian.com
