Chris Helme’s THE YARDS come gently into the faded warmth of Leeds’ Joseph’s Well with some history hanging round their necks. Their song “The Devil is Alive and Well and Living in DC” rips it off, stamps on it and marches on. Faintly metalist, brutally angry, but very neatly put together it clangs and pounds the demons of frustration we all feel at not being in control of the big things in life. It does focus on George (POTUS) Bush, but poetry can’t avoid simultaneous meaning, and Chris Helme does write poetic songs. So all the baggage of earlier experiences with Corporate Rock seems to be hurled off the same cliff in this one explosive performance.
The Yards are the organic natural antithesis to the hair gelled PR product gracing the pop organs these days. They wear ordinary t- shirts and comfortable trousers and their hair is in the shape and length it happens to have arrived at since their last trip to Jed’s Barber Shop. Chris Helme does vocal and guitar, John Hardgreaves masters on keyboard and second vocal, Paul Banks plays a sweet Gibson guitar, John Miller drums with authority and Stuart Fletcher plays finger-style bass with metronomic precision. The string section are home in York, perhaps wary of the acoustic properties of the Joseph’s Well band room.
The audience are a pretty laid back hundred or so, with the dust of experience thick on their backs. They’re not about to fling themselves into any kind of frenzy, least of all a moshpit. But the response is friendly and appreciative. Nationwide there will be a lot of similar souls, moving on from the permanent immortality of the teenage years, and reemerging (like Helme himself) after the shock of becoming an older generation.
The songs? Without exception, they are craftsman built, fully featured and melodic. The aforementioned “Devil” slots in at number six in the middle of the impressive setlist, and contrasts abruptly with the subtly country-rock feel that pervades tonight’s show. Chris Helme is playing a big acoustic Gibson and he sings great rounded tunes reminiscent of Neil Young or Ryan Adams. John Hardgreaves’ second voice takes the higher harmony and adds that essential big skies and warm air feel that says “this sure ain’t Britpop”.
|
There are hints on one or two intro moments that the songs have a wider production ambition than this small venue can cope with on stage. A minimal keyboard doesn’t do full justice to what are going to be big piano parts, and one or two instrumental passages leave gaps for the strings. A stand out moment that I cherished was the big song “Pure” that soon gets over its lack of real piano and builds through Chris Helme’s long soaring voice to a huge crescendo with massive bass. And on into “Only Myself to Blame”. I’m no Helme expert, it’s just nice to get the chance to hear an extended set of new songs that have depth and wisdom built into their very bones.
Support band LEONARD got a very good reception too. The musical forms are in the same tradition and the raw song writing talent is there too. The major step up in quality to THE YARDS was all the more telling because of LEONARD’S fine start to the night’s proceedings. Maybe something similar was at work on the YARDS’ recent supports for ARTHUR LEE?
|
