Live Review

James Yuill – XoYo, London

• 1st Nov 2010

Before we start, a confession. This reviewer knew very little about James Yuill and Silver Columns before tonight’s gig at unpronounceable new Shoreditch venue XOYO. So being collared by a member of Yuill’s team and interviewed on camera about him on the way in was an awkward experience, to say the least. Having mumbled something about thinking he was “erm, a bit like Four Tet, maybe?”, we are allowed to continue headfirst into a small basement not too dissimilar to the sort of place they keep spare robot parts in Star Wars films.

Armed with little prior knowledge of the artists, a Good Music Journalist would almost definitely do some research (either while writing their review or, sensibly, before the gig) while a poor one would probably just wing it, pull out their copy of ‘Lazy Comparisons 101’ and make childish comments about each act’s distinguishing features…..so Silver Columns are made up of Jeff Goldblum (hooded, balding) and Joaquin Phoenix (fat rapper rather than Johnny Cash era). With production values limited to a Christmas light wrapped around the decks, the effect is that of a Tesco-own brand Justice. Muscially, the shadow of Hot Chip looms large but Silver Columns do more than enough with their decks, programmers, megaphones and dual mic set-ups to keep it interesting and quite lovely. If anything, the most thrilling moments of the set are the instrumental ones – even though both are heads down, they perform with enough verve to stay visually engaging. Despite admonishing the crowd for “standing there like c*nts” (more on that later), the duo do manage to get feet moving on occasion, and the set ends with a powerful version of ‘Columns’ that sees Jeff setting up a snare drum next to your reviewer in the crowd while Joaquin wanders through the venue with juiced-up megaphone in tow.

Audience suitably invaded, the stage is set for James Yuill to make his appearance. In shirt and skinny tie, and with acoustic guitar perma-strapped to his back, this review probably isn’t the first to mistake him for an account manager who has wandered in by mistake. So his ability to juggle the beats, electronic drums, guitar and sing is a bit astonishing – as jaws drop at the litany of sounds built up after one particularly impressive sequence, he modestly concedes “that was one of the harder ones”. By the time he’s started sampling his own voice Yuill is just showing off and the crowd absolutely love it. Half-arsed comparisons to Four Tet aside, Yuill’s emotive electronica definitely has echoes of Caribou, although to these ears he pushes the boundaries of the genre with shimmering, expansive melodies that recall Doves, and in a gratefully received ‘On Your Own’ he has crafted one of THE transcendant musical experiences of 2010. Yet this is not just for the nodding technophiles. Yuill knows exactly how to open up a bassline when the occasion calls for it and the last 15 minutes of his set is as danceable as the Chems at their finest. This reviewer would love to tell you to go and listen to some of the other highlights – including a delicate acoustic interlude – but unfortunately our +1 kept talking over all the bloody song titles, usually to say something massively useful along the lines of “that was well good”.

With the lights coming up and Yuill departing a little before 11, only one caveat remains. Despite both acts making music for the heart as much as for the feet, this is not the sort of gig that should be watched on a schoolnight. Ideally, a James Yuill / Silver Columns double header in a Shoreditch basement wouldn’t even start til 3am, when you can guarantee no-one would be “standing there like c*nts”. Although if suddenly pressed for an opinion at such an ungodly hour, it would be a struggle to think of anything more elaborate (and, indeed, fitting) to describe such a triumphant evening than “that was well good”.