- Fri, 2010-05-21 14:49
Yeasayer live @ Shunt, London Bridge 19/05/2010
Wednesday May 19th saw Topman CTRL and Channel 4 bring the fourth of their five unique musical events to the equally individual surroundings of London’s Shunt. Entering through an inconspicuous door found in the unlikely location of London Bridge Station, attendees found themselves thrust into the leviathan infrastructure of one of the captial’s oldest stations. Proceeding under vast, dark arches and along a well-worn red carpet for a hundred metres or so, I Like Music emerged to find a brightly lit stage crammed between the dank red bricks.
A short while later a recorded message from Channel 4’s Nick Grimshaw welcomed tonight’s first act to the stage: Babeshadow. Despite the somewhat cool reception of the small crowd, the band delivered a tight set with verve. Peddling a catchy brand of indie with nods to The Fratellis’ jaunty angularity and hints of Vampire Weekend’s ear for a playful melody, there’s certainly scope for mainstream success if things go well for this bunch.
Up next are Silver Columns, the new project from indie-folksters Adem and Pictish Trail. Far from tinkling glockenspiels and twanging ukuleles, when the two combine the sound that comes out is leftfield dance, sounding like Hot Chip’s house-obsessed cousin. Stood behind a table crammed with all manner of electronic doohickeys and synthesizers connected by miles of wiring, the pair still find room to bounce gleefully around throughout the set. For the penultimate song Adem jumps from the stage into the crowd armed with a floor tom, joined a few moments later by Johnny with a megaphone. It’s a captivating performance, and the combination of melancholic vocal interplay with complex and thoughtful beats is a winning formula. Bring on the album.
Tonight’s headliners are Yeasayer, responsible for one of the year’s most musically adventurous and brilliantly accomplished albums; Odd Blood. Washed in green and yellow light sympathetic to the album’s artwork, the band take to the stage to much excitement from the crowd. They’re an arresting spectacle: guitarist Anand is dressed in a camouflage jumpsuit and lead-singer Chris looks elegant yet sinister in his knee-high riding boots and black boiler-suit complete with collar, lapels and handkerchief poking out of the top pocket. Kicking things off with album opener The Children, the tense and somewhat menacing song combined with the unusual venue immediately creates a sense of occasion.
The level of musicianship on show is remarkable, the intricate songs realised perfectly. Silence rarely falls, with subtle musical passages segueing between each tune, and while in the hands of other bands this technique can come over as self-indulgent, on this occasion it serves perfectly to maintain the atmosphere. The majority of Odd Blood gets an airing, as well as a couple of tracks from first album All Hour Cymbals, such as Sunrise and 2080. Notably, the acute stylistic difference between the old and new material is far less obvious live than it is on record, and where one might expect the two periods of the band’s career to jar they actually blend perfectly. Events reach a climax with the final trio of songs - O.N.E, Mondegreen and Ambling Amp – which demonstrate the band’s ability to write irresistibly catchy songs whilst maintaining an utterly unique sonic aesthetic, all of which is heightened by a commanding performance. A brilliant way to cap a highly successful night of music.
