YAK, SCALA, LONDON, 27TH OCTOBER (LIVE)

In an area of London swarmed with a mix of busy commuters, classy establishments and, generally, a ‘well-to-do’ demographic one can easily detect a fish out of water. Kings Cross is well regarded as one of London’s most prestigious and ‘upper-class’ areas. Home to several majestic hotels, restaurants and bars but none as grand as the establishment the other “fish” and I were headed too. Nestled on the shadowy edges of a congested roundabout just a stone’s throw away from the station you’ll find the notorious SCALA. Like clockwork this venue draws in an abundance of scruffy, sweaty testosterone fueled music lovers to grubby up the gaff. This clientele infect the streets of KC looking for any suitable watering hole to wet their beaks before staggering across the magic roundabout towards the glittery entrance of the towering building, desperate for their fix of noise. This time the band in question was YAK………… or YUCK? With enough ferocity and attitude to put, the potty mouthed, Connor McGregor in his place we think these lads should seriously consider a change of name.

Let us start by saying that they aren’t short of stage presence, energy and aggression. Prior to the gig I’d seen a job load of live photos with lead singer/ guitarist Oli Burslem flailing around on top of the crowd with his guitar touching the ceiling but I never quite grasped the extent of his crowd surfing obsession. He spent the majority of the gig leaping over the barriers into the sweaty pit of humans; being dragged out by the security guard who, by the end of the gig, looked like he just wanted to get home stick on the kettle and sit down with a cup of tetley’s …… the poor bastard. They’re a great fucking band, no doubt about it. Just watching the crowd’s reaction when they dropped into ‘Harbour the Feeling’ summed that hypothesis up for us nice and early. Yak are made for touring, their music is noisy, mischievous, unruly and downright disgusting. I couldn’t think of a better way to let off some steam after a shit day at the office. Get down the pub knock back enough pints to sedate a small rhino and head to a YAK gig. Swing your limbs around like you’ve dislocated every joint in your body and do your bit to keep the sweaty lead singer up the in air so he doesn’t have to get back on that horrid stage. Seriously guys, for only £3 a month you can help to keep him from going back to those awful stages, no one should be subject to such appalling gigging standards.

As momentum built the crowd became evermore disobedient, the picture from above was a sea of bodies jaggedly pulsating and crashing together like rush hour at Oxford Circus. The relentlessly sweet sound of garage rock’s angry thrash showed no sign of letting up and neither did the eager eyed balls of sweat that collided beneath. YAK, we have to say, are a band built on rhythm. Drummer, Elliot Rawson and Bassist, Andy Jones man the ship. It shows no sign of unplanned deviation with these lads at the helm. Several moments of the gig we stood admiring the qualities of both musicians, they encompass such a wide array of styles into one heavy, groovey vortex of sonic fudge. It’s sticky and sweet but sharp to touch, these instruments are the bottom line; the primary source of your bodies involuntary movement. Wondering why you can stop bouncing around like an awkward school boy at his first gig? It’s contagious! You’ve got no choice in the matter; just go with it. Discard those dated dance moves you learnt from your first ever viewing of a Sum 41 music video. Jumping up and down like an angsty HB pencil, screaming ‘YEAH MAN’ isn’t gunna help you here. Drop your sk8er boi attitude, shake your hips and get weird as fuck, remember this isn’t MTV.

Let’s not leave out lead singer Oli. He’s an untameable live wire with enough amateur theatrics to land him a part in your local Christmas panto alongside Christopher Biggins. HE’S BEHIND YOU! No but seriously, he’s got it! A voice like Julian Casablancas of The Strokes is always gunna go down well in the Rock and Roll community. Everyone loves passionate, gritty vocals that teeter gingerly on the edge of strenuous permanent vocal chord damage. That’s what we want! Pour your heart and soul into every word. He ended the set by smashing the absolute granny out of his white telecaster and storming off the stage leaving his rhythmic compadre’s to let the dust settle. From our position in the crowd we could see his tirade continue off the side of the stage as he slammed the door shut almost taking the fucker off its old decrepit hinges. He absolutely immerses himself into their live shows, no holding back, he goes full throttle from start to finish and if you’re not ready you’ll get left behind. Their set structure has a spontaneous aura about it, as if they just decide what to play as it comes along. Perhaps something they learnt from Mr Jack White whilst signed to Third Man Records? Their songs were played in a ‘medley’ fashion with ‘Alas Salvation’ posing as the go-to riff. A personal fav for us was ‘Take It’, one we highlighted during the album review earlier in the year. It’s such a great track, not as in your face as some of its siblings but one that can incorporates such a variety of styles and sounds. Our only pitfall with the whole gig was that the guitar wasn’t clear enough. It seemed to hide behind the bass and drums a little. It would be nice to hear it turned up and vulnerable, maybe less focus on the stage presence and more on lead guitar. What does the future hold for YAK, maybe a new EP, some more tour dates in early 2017 or album number two who knows? All we know is they’re INTENSE, VISCERAL, ROWDY, ENERGETIC and you certainly should get off your arse and go see them live.