Live Review

Wye Oak – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London

• 20th Jun 2011

“This song belongs playing on huge speakers up in the sky,” says a comment on YouTube about Wye Oak’s “I Hope You Die”. It felt a bit like that at the band’s sold-out gig in London last Thursday night – live, this Baltimore duo make bigger music than two people really have a right to.

Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner played a surprisingly rocking set of songs comprised mainly of tracks from their latest album, “Civilian”, with a few old numbers thrown in. Often lazily labelled ‘indy folk’, Wye Oak’s songs have always punctuated quiet melodies with bursts of raunchy guitar. But the rough, exuberant intensity of this performance was beyond all expectations.

The smooth production and layered fullness of “Civilian” belies the sheer power of these two. They sounded like a band twice their size. Singles “Civilian” and “Holy, Holy” were justifiably well received, but “Dogs Eyes” probably provided the best example. Swinging between lively verses of Wasner’s husky, caramel vocals and interludes of forceful guitars, it almost took the roof off.

Full of energy and emotion, the performance resonated right to the bone. But it was all executed with a tightness and control that was testament to the ten years these two have been playing together.

Wasner is a proper rock chick on guitar, swamping with room with feedback and reverb, bouncing about with her long blonde hair hanging over her face, occasionally flashing a big happy grin. Her guitar sound adeptly ranged from jangly and bluesy, to fuzzy and distorted. Her impressive voice, too, was varied with a mature gracefulness that meant we didn’t miss the harmonic backing vocals that fill out their albums.

Stack plays bass and organ rifts on keyboard with his left hand, and drums with his right, which runs the risk of coming across as gimmicky. But he manages both without compromising on quality, remaining intricate and interesting on both sides and filling out the sound nicely.

This was the last gig in Wye Oak’s European tour and the duo seemed reluctant to leave, lingering on stage knocking back the scotch and playing several extra songs. “For Prayer” from the Knot was well worth sticking around for, and Wasner finished the set solo with the touchingly quiet and sad “Doubt”.

It was a spirit-soaringly, ear-ringingly good show from Wye Oak – the so-called indy folk band that got the Hoxtonites headbanging.