With onstage energy aplenty and shenanigans ‘Yard Act’ liven up the Brighton Dome!

★★★★☆ (4/5)

YARD ACT PERFORMING AT BRIGHTON’S DOME
PHOTOCREDIT: MICHAEL HUNDERTMARK

Yard Act are a band who a wresting with themselves sounding like no other band. Their a band originating from Leeds in West Yorkshire composed of James Smith, Ryan Needham, Sam Shipstone and Jay Russell. Their debut album The Overload was realised back in January 2022 and when straight up to number two in the UK Album charts. Now there are back with new material and their second and latest album, ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ Yard Act’s style of vocal singing known as ‘Talk Singing’ is more in par with ‘Idles’ or ‘dry Cleaning’ or first appeared in the alternative rock and punk scene since the 1960’s. Yard Act have quickly become a sought after band who last appeared in Brighton at Pattern’s much smaller venue.

Initially Brighton Dome is sparkly filled but did not take long be buzzing with fans just in time for ‘Gustaf’ the support act to fill the stage! Gustaf is a Brooklyn based band known to be diligent and have become renowned for their electrifying humorous live performance. The band Beck have stated their there are “one of his favourite new American bands”. The band’s debut single ‘Design’ showed the general appreciation from the crowd. Front woman Lydia Gammill certainly keeps the audience on their toes with some ore up tempo ‘weighing Me Down’ and closing the set abruptly to a slow burner. The band certainly did win over the audience with their stylised rhythmic beats!

As the years have gone by Yard act seem to come out of their restrictive post punk feel with a more varied template with ‘When the laughter stops’ going to a more LCD Soundsystem electronic style showing off some pulsatile rhythms, sax and backing vocals. For this Dream Job Tour Daisy Smith and Lauren Fitzpatrick do the honour of producing the vocals. James smith certainly made full use of the stage with the large neon sign and the vocalists dancing alongside a frantic way. We make Hits has a catchy chorus when Smith bellows out towards the audience “How are you Brighton, we love this venue”, whilst equipping himself with a tambourine. To much as a surprise a cover version of XTC’s ‘A Man Who Sailed around His Soul’, is played. A wheel of fortune style game is set up with a crowd member invited up on stage to spin the wheel for the random selected tune ‘The Overload’ to be selected! The song of the night was Trench Coat Museum which welcomed by a loud cheer with the vocalists wearing trench coats Gustaf also made their way back on stage for a full on sing and dance along. This was the most frenzied collective performance and long instrumental build up ever witnessed at Brighton Dome.

Yard acts show was truly phenomenal fun outing creating a more, clear cut identity compared to their early post punk material. As their stand now, James Smith and his ensemble deserve to go and grow to greater things in the future!