YEASAYER (London Institute of Contemporary Arts, 06/03/08)

One of the more intriguing hype bands around, Yeasayer’s hazy, percussive, slightly psychedelic indie rock, underpinned with a strong Native American influence is a world away from the angular, screechy guitar-pop favoured by the likes of the NME, and all the better for it. A mellower, more accessible relation of TV On The Radio, their live show displays the same invention and killer grooves that made their album such a pleasure, although it never quite reached the heights of brilliance they’re so clearly capable of. Performance-wise, they’re proficient rather than remarkable, only their impassioned vocalist really standing out, although the fact their bassist looks alarmingly like Weird Al Yankovic is good for a laugh. There’s also a slightly off-kilter sound-mix for much of the show, the guitars too low for the grooves to really get going. But otherwise, there’s little to complain about; musically, they’re stunning, with single 2080 made all the better for the addition of glam-rock drumming, and some of the less immediate songs on the album acquit themselves wonderfully here. But there’s few who’ll deny the highlight of the night was the astounding Sunrise, complete with impromptu extra percussion from supports Dragon of Zynth- truly mindblowing stuff. One can only imagine how amazing they’d be if they raise the rest of their performance to the same quality.

(Photo: Bjaglin (Flickr))