Yard Act at Fine Line (09/13/2023)

The crowd definitely had a mixed vibe. There were young people, for sure. But there were just as many men and women there who would have been teenagers in the 80’s. Still, it’s nice to see different generations converging to check out a new band with a fresh sound making their Minneapolis debut.

Stuck opened up the evening with a fiery set. They are out of Chicago and mostly played songs from their recently released album Freak Frequency. They even started with the first four songs from the album which is definitely entrenched in the post punk vibe with its pulsating, stripped-down beat and staccato-like lyrics.

The band is composed of Greg Obis on lead vocals and guitar, Tim Green on drums, Donny Walsh on guitar, and David Algrim on bass (however, for this show, Sarah Clausen has replaced David). Obis kept things brief between songs. So brief that when he mentioned their new album he only said, “It’s over there,” pointing to the merch table. Then added, “Rock ‘n Roll” before launching into the electric “Break the Arc.”

Yard Act was a little more conversational. In fact, the lead singer, James Smith was down-right loquacious. They were excited to be in the Twin Cities, the first stop on their American Tour and they didn’t waste any time by launching into the peppery “Rich” which playfully mocks the corrosive nature of accumulated wealth.

Yard Act is a new band (2019) from Leeds England and they had quite the debut with their first album The Overload, which was short-listed (nominated) for the Mercury Prize last year. “Confident” is the word Pitchfork used to describe the album and it is a perfect word to describe the band with a heavy beat and recitative delivery of Smith’s somewhat rap, somewhat punk, sped-up poetry slam of verbal acrobatics with a tongue in cheek and biting tongue.

“Good to be back in America,” said Smith. “And good to be in Minneapolis.”

Smith went on to say he wouldn’t want to live in America. He said he loved his perfect country and as an ode to its brilliance they played “Land of the Blind.”

Special shoutout to the band who supported Smith’s sharp, funny lyrics. Ryan Needham on bass, Jay Russell on drums, Sam Shipstone and his impressive mustache on guitar provided quite a funked-up beat that reminded me of the early Talking Heads. At moments I was thinking, who needs words with a groove this good, especially when they launched into their new single “The Trenchcoat Museum” that had everyone dancing, young and old.

Remaining tour dates: