New York – After the victorious rush of the first night, the following night was highlighted by a super late set from the reconfigured Yuck. Their headlining set at Glasslands for the NME/Hate Hate Hate/Sunday Management CMJ party didn’t begin until around 1am, since drummer Jonny Rogoff was the only band member who had been able to make it to the gig at their appointed time. While the rest of the band raced from the airport and scrambled to find replacements for some lost pedalboards, Jonny had the most thorough soundcheck, and finally everyone and everything came together. Yuck without effects pedals certainly would be a completely different band.
Despite some technical difficulties with the new pedalboards, Yuck still seemed to effortlessly deliver their super crunchy, reverbed and fuzzed out tunes. Bassist Mariko Doi was front and center of the stage, and shared lead vocals with guitarist Max Bloom. New guitarist Ed Hayes was on the end, with a very punk rock strumming style that made me think he probably listened to a lot of early Green Day.
They played old favorites, like “Holing Out” and “Get Away,” and more off their debut, with Max taking over all the vocals that were originally sung by former frontman Daniel Blumberg. Their new album Glow And Behold is out now, with the more expansive shoegaze singles “Rebirth,” “Middle Sea,” and “Memorial Fields” finding their place in the setlist, as well as their cover of New Order’s “Age of Consent,” totally grunged out like Yuck does to make it their own.
Leeds post-punk band Eagulls played what felt like an incredibly short set right before the hours long interlude, and incited the closest thing to a mosh pit I witnessed the entire festival. I got the feeling that the band and the soundman didn’t have the most friendly working relationship when the band started playing and front man George Mitchell’s mic wouldn’t turn on. After some moments of futile gestures and annoyed stares Mitchell grabbed the second mic on stage, knocked the stand into the crowd, and got all his aggression out with a stonefaced stare. No smiles were to be had, except when someone chucked their empty beer cup at the stage, pulling a quick smirk out of the bassist as it plopped at his feet. Eagulls wanted the confrontation, would have gotten off more if people had been rowdier and angrier, but it turns out a bunch of kids waiting for the much poppier by comparison Yuck was a tough crowd. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys at a more encouraging, adrenaline pumping dive venue, where they maybe hadn’t already pissed off the sound guy, and could just do their thing to the right crowd.
It was an even odder placement for Eagulls for being before Yuck and after bluesy psych-folk slacker rocker Courtney Barnett. She picked, plucked, strummed, and hammered on her lefty Harmony Rocket vintage guitar, while singing her spoken word lyrics reminiscent of 60s Bob Dylan in her own dusky voice. She’s Australian, but she has the Americana feel down. She mentioned between songs that this was that biggest she ever played, even compared to Australia, and she only brought five CDs and one shirt, so we could all share it for 50 cents each or fight over it. I didn’t notice any mobs at the merch table, but I will be looking out for more tunes from this gal.
