Yeasayer @ Heaven 23/02/2010

Another 3 gig week, I'm still tired from the start of the month and looking forward to March. Not till the end of the week though.

Yea, say yeah! Mastodon and hot shit Hot Chip preclude the rest.

I've wanted to get a load of the Yeasayer live show since having a listen to the first album and here we are, in Heaven, where else?

We get in early to check out Javelin, Richey, tonight’s co-pilot has given them an ear on the hype. Javelin are a gas, two guys clothed a la “American Apparel” synth and bass the hell out of the soundsystem.  All the while they've got a video show going on, it’s all clips of training and how to videos from the 80s. A mulleted Andre Agassi hitting balls around and about, some chick showing you how to break dance, a learning video for scuba diving, jumping cetaceans at Sea World somewhere, interspersed with bright colours.

I meet drummer, George Langford after, he says the video is a shorter version of a longer original. I stand there listening my voicebox vibrating from the bass mesmerized by the short clips.

They got beats and cred, they sell their mix cds in card cases made from other peoples 12 inch covers,  they also sell download codes for their as yet unreleased new album. Its DIY Y2K1000, they are the new beat poets, they probably hang in the new dens wherever will be cool next year, to add to the cred singer Tom Van Buskirk spent seven months at Goldsmith’s.

Yeasayer take their good time but they appear, guitarist Anand Wilder and Chris Keating are both in all in ones, though Anand’s is all colours like he has been on a paint job with a look of a dishevelled Jamie Cullum.  Bassist Ira Wolf Tuton used to be all long curls and facial hair but now sports a short Mohican and has something of the Kurgan about him, he wields his bass like the mighty warrior’s sword and fingers a grooving a bass line.

They start with Odd Blood openers “The Children” and “Madder Red”.  No video backdrop here just a background of lights with the synth stands also light boxes. It’s something of a dream sequence, at times I feel somewhere just below waking.  At one point I phase out during a song, I am not sure which one but when I come to I have no idea how long I have been out, it might have been hours, days, years, it’s more like 3 minutes but when I come back up the groove gets on.

The crowd oddify things further tonight, its a great mix like at Rammstein, older folk, young über cool angular hair cut kids, middle aged types, its all very middle class of course and despite grooves of the second half of a set featuring “O.N.E.”, “Rome” and “Mondegreen” people seldom move instead standing straight faced and serious looking. O.N.E. gets some minor bopping, I feel alone dancing along and try to reduce my swaying to a minimum less I disturb the boring ones.

The lights, the vocal harmonies; Keating, Wilder and Tuton all chip in vocally and mix it up, particularly on the set closing “2080”, mixed with the backing flashing lights, its all beautiful, the soungs and moulded for the live show, pulled, Wilder shows off his musicianship on the Rickenbacker. Chris Keating is a funny frontman, something of Thom Yorke’s wild cat dancing and staccato moves. His one piece is navy and looks like it might be on the small side, he smiles and sips tea from a white mug between songs. 

They walk off after a great “Ambling Alp” but I am steadfast until I hear “Sunrise” and “2080” from All Hours Cymbals. The expected encore comes after the audience stamp their feet, the most some have moved all night. Both are extrapolated beautifully live, particularly the mixed vocal on “2080”.

Songs and encores all wrapped up, it’s a slow journey out, home and onto Mastodon.