The current trend for everything 80s is in full effect at Koko this evening, with the mix of people on the dance floor downstairs clad in an assortment of day-glo colours and checked shirts (the crowd who avoid the scrum by hanging out on the balconies are generally more sensibly dressed, but a fair amount of them were probably old enough to be wearing this stuff the first time round). Support act Light Asylum’s impressive Grace Jones meets Depeche Mode sound would fit into this atmosphere perfectly, but they are let down by their somewhat meek stage presence with the duo spending much of their time hiding in dim UV light and the poor sound mix they have been provided with – although the noise they make with their array of synth equipment is bone-shakingly loud, singer Shannon Funchess’s lyrics are practically inaudible.
Based on their previous live-form, and with a new 80s electro sound themselves, it’s not at all surprising that Yeasayer could easily pack out a venue the size of Koko, and they deserve to. However, while the band have gotten slicker and much more interesting on record, they’ve gotten slicker but a bit less interesting live. Where the band once looked like an explosion in a charity shop, and had a stage presence to match, they now sport a more soberly stylish look made up of army surplus, suits and skinny jeans. Guitarist Anand Wilder’s slightly ridiculous baggy camouflage suit is the notable exception to this and his look clashes amusingly with his overly smooth on-stage persona, which reaches its zenith (or nadir, depending on your opinion) with him intensely crooning drugs ballad Grizelda at the front row. Keyboardist, and ostensible front-man Chris Keating’s gesticulations remain pretty much intact, but in the past these had an air of the manic, like he was suffering from a mild bout of demonic possession, but now seem organised and rehearsed and, with the amount of times he camply puts his hands on his hips, oddly reminiscent of Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Joining the core members of the band – Wilding, Keating and bassist Ira Wolf Tuton – are a new backing section comprising of drummer Jason Trammell and keyboardist/percussionist Ahmed Gallab, and both have a positive effect on Yeasayer’s live show – the white-suited Gallab particularly so, with him taking on the position of the band’s hype man when bringing the rest of them out for an encore. Midway through the set the band play their first single Sunrise, which is lent a new weight with the additional members thanks to their well-choreographed yet forceful drumming during the song’s intro. On that note it must be said that the best songs of the evening all come from the band’s first album, something they are probably quite aware of themselves as they choose to both open and close their set with songs from this. The encore – consisting of a segue between first album tracks No Need to Worry and Wait for the Wintertime – in particular providing them with the opportunity to unleash the more aggressive energy seen on previous tours, and while they remain consistently entertaining, it’s a shame that Yeasayer haven’t worked out quite how to do as much justice to their newer (and stronger) material as they do to their older songs.
