My date with the night came at the end of a very busy week of shows for me – in fact after the brilliance of Polly and John on the Monday (review to follow soon) I headed into this gig with a little sense of anti-climax. Goodness knows why, It’s Blitz! is a fantastic record, taking the trio’s sound into new and shiny areas. The Empire is packed by the time we get inside, having already missed Art Brut, much more so than the other two shows I’ve seen here over the last week. I guess this is the buzz ticket, the touts outside weren’t selling - only buying. The anticipation on the floor is heady, people are jabbering, pushing and impatient to see exactly how the band would make the step up to the big league.
The eye from the Zero cover looms over the stage and in a blaze of colour, and not many words, the band appear. Karen is shrouded in fibre-optic style headgear as they immediately launch into Heads Will Roll, whipping the crowd into a massed frenzy. The next few tracks whizz by in showers of glitter cannon rounds and I’m struck just how slick the band has become – they’re putting on a real show. For most of the first half of the set I struggle with the notion in my head, I’m used to seeing the singer writhe around on the floor emitting either wild shrieks or guttural roars. As my companion pointed out it just all felt, well, too rehearsed. Part of what drew me to them as a live proposition was the thrill of the unexpected , the seemingly improvised guitar work.
Perhaps, I thought, it is a symptom of trying to recreate the new tracks and their synth lines in a live setting – it ties the band down to strict routine. Take Hysteric for example, lacking the pace and bounce of the rest of the set, being almost a facsimile of the album version. The feeling begins to dissipate with airing of some of their oldest material, Miles Away sounded as urgent and thrilling as it ever did and Pin equally chaotic. Towards the end of the main set they’re winning me around, the night seems to have picked up pace and they thunder through Zero and Y Control to finish all too quickly.
The encore began with a cloying list of thank yous seemingly longer than the setlist, before lulling into a neat version of Maps. Following that though was the big surprise, and possibly the show’s saving grace, an astonishing rendition of Art Star complete with attempted mic-swallowing, screams and cutesy “do-do-do’s”. It is an absolute blast, as is the closer Date With The Night. In a way, I’m not sure how to sum the gig up. Sure the songs sounded great, the crowd loved it – if the whole thing was a little short. However I couldn’t help coming away thinking that despite sounding great on wax, the new stuff had stripped away the best thing about the band’s live act – spontaneity.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Art Star
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero
Photo: Hidden Shine
