Yard Act at Unit 58, London Review

Yard Act has a reason to celebrate once more. After an exceptional debut, The Overload, and a monumental follow-up album, Where’s My Utopia?, the band promises their best yet. You’re Gonna Need a Little Music is off to a strong start, not least because of how strong their lead single, Redeemer, turned out to be. Nestled in between Big K’s charcoal and a bust-up VW is Unit 58, where Yard Act has made the most important statement of their career. You’re Gonna Need a Little Music will release in July, but those in attendance at tonight’s album reveal will need a lot more to sustain them until summer. The James Smith-fronted band has toiled away for over four years to find a sound they’re comfortable with. Smith wrote recently that it’s on the third and fourth albums that an artist finally feels at home with their sound. If we base his comment on how You’re Gonna Need a Little Music sounds live, he may just be right.  

Just look at the greats to confirm such a comment – Bob Dylan, Pulp, even Wings. Yard Act, should we judge them off this live performance alone, are braced to join that third act is the best act club. What a collection of songs they have on their hands, the names of each slipping from memory every time the Jubilee line halts at a new stop.  Yard Act occasionally covers Motörhead and their latest single, Redeemer, allows them a touch of the Ace of Spades. It’s a reality check punch but also a call for redemption, and therein lies the ongoing charm of Yard Act’s third album. It may be built on a punk crunch, but it holds within it that calm openness which was fixated on with their first album and pawed at during their second time around. What becomes clear in this sweaty, crowded room is that Yard Act has now gotten comfortable with their influences being a backdrop rather than a bold presence in the studio. That switch opens up their other songs, too.  

A few oldies to wrap the show, but forget that. They’re still great. Complex, liberating, and thrilling. Dead Horse is a particular highlight. Those so-called oldies benefit from the newbies, and where this sound is taking Yard Act. Dark Days gets a wonderful showing, too. It’s quality assured from the band here, a collection of quality instrumental tests and a sensational vocal performance from Smith. What remains staggering is the consistency Yard Act is working with now. Three for three on quality albums and each, arguably, better than the next. It’s the tempo, the suggestiveness of the lyrics, the spoken word breaks, which blur the line between punk and performance art. The Trapper’s Pelts ties the show together. A “look how far they’ve come” moment. What adds to that sense of achievement is the community in the building, the shared values of band and audience.  

A rarity for sure, but what a treat to see it unfold. You’re Gonna Need a Little Music, the title track that is, has classic written all over it. That momentum carrying the band to album number three is felt on every song. Talky Talky People, Cherophobe Rock, and Over the Barrel are highlights. What indicates the strength of You’re Gonna Need a Little Music more than anything is the show’s opening song, Empty Pledges. Often, it takes a song or two to warm the room. But whether it’s the intimacy of a great venue like Unit 58 or the sprint to the tube station to hightail it down to Brixton straight afterwards, there’s a sense that this is the album that propels Yard Act to that next level. They deserve it. They put on one of Øyafestivalen’s best shows to date, and they’re bound to pick up new thrills on their upcoming world tour.