Yo La Tengo, Barbican Centre, London
- Written by Andrew Seaton
Yo La Tengo often prove to be a spectacle band. Not in the showy Flaming Lips-bouncing-around-in-giant-balls-while-fireworks-go-off kind of way. A tad more understated than that. Previous shows have seen them bring out giant roulette wheels and play songs in accordance with what comes up. Great.
What spectacles do the New Jersey stallions of indie rock offer tonight? Quite literally on the back of their latest (and great) L.P. Fade, they offer shrubbery. Cut-out trees provide a pleasant backdrop which is lit in a shifting manner according to the seasonal moods of the songs. A smaller wall of real foliage separate the band from the front row. If Alan Titchmarsh had been the architect behind the Berlin Wall and all his imprisoned citizens had been completely content, this would be it.
Lovely.
Horticulture and East Germany aside, the evening is split between a quieter melodic acoustic set and a louder, rockier, dancier set - YLT don’t need no support. To be honest, the divide isn’t quite as stark as this seems (‘Ohm’ was in both halves), but it’s a nice touch.
It’s hard to get across the quality of YLT. They’ve been going for thirty years so they should be rubbish, right? NO. For a band that have been going that long, they exude passion and a simple love for the music they play. They also always surprise you. Ira Kaplan frequently looks like a rodeo champion tonight, riding at his best to control his guitar. Guitar solos are often the safe preserve of the boring and the unimaginative, but not so with this guy. His are raw and you will rock out - even if you are confined to comfortable Barbican seating.
YLT are also funny, Kaplan talking at one point about how the band like to take in the cultural sights of the towns they visit, and especially those in London. He goes on to ask if anyone has visited the Faulty Towers Dining Experience. No one had.
Tracks from Fade are shown to be worthy of addition to YLT’s extensive repertoire. Georgia Hubley is sublime on ‘Before We Run’ whilst ‘Paddle Forward’ is hammered home with awesomely sinister reverb. There is a beautiful rendition of ‘Damage’ from I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One and ‘Nowhere Near’ is similarly ethereal.
Yo La Tengo prove again, if it was ever in doubt, that they are a top-quality band. Dripping with talent, enthusiasm and an infectious affability, they’ve just gotta be seen.