Yard Act - O2 Academy, Bristol - 23rd March 2024
Yard Act at Hammersmith Apollo - Credit Unknown
Much has been made of Yard Act’s new direction, with the four-piece freely admitting that post-punk was a useful (and cost-effective) vehicle for their early work. A form that was easily translated to the live stage, it served both its purpose and the band well.
But with new album Where’s My Utopia? broadening their sonic palette, what are Yard Act now? The second collection threw a wealth of different genres into the mix, including hip-hop and smatterings of electronica, which suggested that translating it into performance may be a challenge.
Not a bit of it: the new improved Yard Act experience is brighter (a dazzling, perpetually changing light show), brasher (backing dancers) and louder (every song).
Sadly – as documented on last year’s one-off single ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ – frontman James Smith has sacked the mac, with he and his band-mates colour coordinated with an orange motif, including a natty denim jacket.