Live Review

Yuck – Scala, London

• 24th May 2011

A beautifully balmy night in Kings Cross welcomes the band of the moment; Yuck. The Scala is packed out with a mix of teens and seasoned rockers who want to see what these youngsters have to offer; the answer is a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, it is great to hear a collection of 90’s twangs and beats again, but there’s something missing from the whole outfit.

Starting the proceedings with their single ‘Holing Out’, it maintains a steady beat with a familiar whir from the guitars. The lead, Daniel Blumberg, has obvious passion and dedication for his music, which is endearing to watch. He has the maturity of a lead twice his age and wholly commands the stage.

‘The Wall’ is up next and that gets the rather docile crowd moving. Even though it is not a particularly inspiring song lyrically, its wispy nature filled with wonder and hope is interesting to witness.

As the set goes on, the other band members sleepily play leaving the listener and audience slightly underwhelmed. Their stage presence is lack-lustre and quite frankly a bit flat. Blumberg’s gusto and liveliness just about keep the band together, which is quite disappointing. They have the potential to be an outstanding live band, but at the moment they are merely average. Their mish-mash of Indie/Rock band of the past fifteen years is actually refreshing to hear. You can tell that their influences lie in this era as they flick between snippets of The Coral, Sonic Youth and a touch of the Pixies.

‘Suck’ is undeniably their show stealer. Their slower and moodier tracks have more depth and feeling. They are more thought out and produce such an awe inspiring sound, that you are completely bowled over by their intensity and greatness.

Playing just shy of an hour, the four piece leave the stage and offer no encore. Yuck have the tools to be an outstanding band, they just need to put them altogether and only then will they be the truly sensational outfit they deserve to be.