REVIEW: YARD at Sidney&Matilda
Growing up as an obstinate teenager in the indie-heavy ‘00s, there was one thing I was certain of. There were two kinds of music: proper music, the type with guitars - and the rest. And with a few exceptions, the rest could be dismissed.
I wonder what teenage me would have made of a band like YARD. There’s guitar, lots of it, endless waves of it, but their fusion of electronica and post-punk defies easy categorisation, drawing in genres like techno, trance and various types of hardcore. Eclectic, sure, but is it any good?
Spoiler alert: Let’s just say I’m very grateful I’m no longer that stubborn teenager.
Photo: Ollie Franklin
Following a rapturously received gig at Sidney&Matilda last year, word of mouth has earned the Irish trio an upgraded room and expectant crowd on the first night of a three-date UK tour. On a temperate summer evening, the post-industrial space of the basement room feels ready to fulfil something close to its original purpose: human and machine working together to create something vital, with more than a bit of furious repetition and heat thrown into the mix.
Electronic duo MILLION, who also supported YARD last year, open the night. Standout tracks such as ‘Dogged Up’ show why they were chosen to support Alabama 3 earlier this year. Post-rock guitar and bass jostle with trip-hop beats in a wall of sound, singer Simon Lindley’s vocals just one part of a rich texture. No surprises that they were asked back by YARD themselves, as they set us up perfectly for the main act.
Support band MILLION [Photo: Ollie Franklin]
Brief respite in the night air over, YARD arrive on stage to a wave of drone while they feverishly plug in various bits of equipment. Intended part of the show, or the result of a lax pre-gig check? My idle speculation is quickly dispelled as they launch flawlessly into raucous techno-rock banger ‘Trevor’, taken from their recently released self-titled EP. Over furious rhythms and wailing synths, singer Emmet White demands whether we’ve seen the titular subject of the song (a stolen bike, as it turns out). Amid the chaos, it’s a remarkably heartfelt tribute to the meaning we put into inanimate objects. I try not to think about the shoddy bike lock keeping my own version of ‘Trevor’ attached to a lamppost on Matilda Street above.
Follow-up ‘Bend’ reduces the tempo, but ups the intensity as White’s vocals harshen to emphasise the venom contained in lines like “lust, controlling/In your space I'm folding/just, the moment/hold me break me”. Trent Reznor would be proud, and while that industrial influence is evident, YARD match contemporaries SCALER and PVA in how well their electronica and techno elements combine to immensely danceable effect. The crowd doesn’t have all the fun, either. The on-stage trio cut shapes and beat chests as they segue through a mesmerising set.
Picking one highlight is tough, but as the excellent ‘Big Shoes’ briefly relents for its bridge and a group of dedicated fans join in a roaring lament towards the “shadow of the former self/trapped in the ether”, it’s hard not to see why so many of tonight’s crowd are returning converts from last year’s show. That includes more than a few who’ve made the trip across to Sheffield specially.
Photo: Ollie Franklin
An hour has passed in what feels like no time at all. Closer ‘Sunlight’’s machine-gun opening bass rattles the basement before unfolding into a distillation of everything that makes YARD such an exhilarating prospect. Squalling guitars, feverish exhortations, riotous energy. Far from exhausted by the sonic onslaught, the crowd are left wanting more. Let’s hope YARD are too and return for another Sheffield date soon. Wherever they play, you owe it to yourself to experience their intensity for yourself. Proper music.
Words: David Cuthbertson
Photos: Ollie Franklin
