Last night, when the Leeds post-punk band Yard Act played on American TV for the first time, James Smith took a moment mid-song to lean over and yell something directly into the camera: "America, are you listening? I'm actually very nice!" Yard Act were playing "The Overload," the title track from their just-released debut album. On that song, Smith plays the role of a crusty older gentleman who's disgusted with the younger generation. But in slightly tweaking the lyrics last night, Smith sent a bit of a message across the airwaves.
Yard Act just released that album The Overload earlier this year after cranking out a couple of buzzy singles. The Overload is already a huge hit in the UK, and now Yard Act have their sights set on America. They've got a whole lot of festival shows coming up, and they did musical-guest duties on last night's Tonight Show. They made an impression.
A lot of bands are making similar sorts scratchy, wordy post-punk these days, but Yard Act still stand out, and they showed why last night. The band's style is clean and forceful, and it acts as a sort of springboard for Smith, a splenetic ranter who's equal parts Alex Turner and Craig Finn. Big hooks, too. They sounded good last night, and you can watch the performance below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7LhITfT4Lw
The Overload is out now on Island Records/Zen F.C.
