Playing in a big town with some indie credibility is a blessing because people will actually pack a club on a Sunday at 10:00 p.m. to see your gig. It was Yuck’s first headlining show in Toronto and although there was an obvious appreciation for them (why else would people have paid to watch?) the crowd was dull and motionless. Yuck joked that they were in Montreal the previous night but that Toronto was a better crowd. If that was in fact the case, it begsthe question of just how lousy is Montreal? Maybe it was a case of the usual over-stimulated Toronto, or maybe it was Sunday night sleepiness after a long weekend. Or maybe everyone had just smoked too much pot.
There was a sort of an adorable shyness to the band. Lead (ish) man Daniel Blumberg talked into his shirt like a teenager hiding mouth braces and bassist Mariko Doi hid her eyes behind her perfectly brushed bangs but, when they played their music, they were energetic and cool and guitarist Max Bloom bent his body forward scratching out the dangerously nerdy solo of “Holing Out.”
Yuck’s blend a lot of slacker-fuzz and shoegaze adoration (mostly on vocals) and some genuinely cute songwriting have drawn comparisons to Sonic Youth and Dinosaur. In reality though, they are much closer to Superchunk with breathier, reverb-touched vocals. It's worth mentioning Yuck’s Nineties alt-rock comparisons, but they are not revivalists. They find influences there, but have their own voice as well.
They chose "Rubber" – the last song on their record and a dirge of noise and punchy rhythm – to close the show. It’s the most unique song on their record and a good set closer as it leaves lots of room for experimentation, improvising and necessary feedback.
After playing just about all of their new debut record, Yuck left the stage with house music playing, a signal that there would be no encore. It was a smart decision. It was Sunday and a good idea not to keep people past their bedtime waiting for more.
Artist:
www.yuckband.blogspot.com/
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Tour:
Yuck's current North American tour continues. Click here for a list of upcoming shows.
