Kid Vinyl

Audience participation is often an unpredictable affair: when it works it can enhance the enjoyment for both performer and crowd, but when it doesn’t,it can really derail a gig.

 It’s understandable then that Yo La Tengo walk on sedately (although as a fan for some years, and having seen them multiple times, it’s not like I was expecting nor hoping for drum solos and whooping!). The band; tonight billed as The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo take their seats for tonight’s semi-acoustic show and introduce the question-and-answer concept of the gig.

 What follows is an entertaining evening of Ira Kaplan’s dry, self deprecating candour, James McNew’s whimsy and George Hubley’s softly delivered quips interwoven with back catalogue highlights and ‘fuzz box’ songs from their Condo Fucks alter -ego record ‘Fuck Book’.

They open with ‘Tom Courtenay’, sung by George (later revisited and sung by Ira in the encore) and  wax lyrical about having recently been at a film screening with Lou Reed (triggered by the question of  ‘Seen any good movies lately?) which provides neat lead into a cover of Velvet Underground’s ‘I Found  A Reason’.  Ira explains that he was told a London audience might be too reticent to participate in this kind of gig: how wrong he is! Questions fire at the band from across the auditorium, ranging from the well-versed in YLT trivia “What’s the best season to wear a Sweater?”, to the obscure  to the downright creepy as a voice in the dark quips “Anna and I enjoy most of our intimate moments to your music. What music does it for you?”. Nervous giggling and exchanges of glances between husband and wife Ira and George peter out in favour of more songs.

 Bizarre though this often is;  the sporadic line of questioning and random statements from the crowd does yield some entertaining and off beat anecdotes from the band.   James McNew concludes that ‘memorising the ATP festival schedule’ is the coolest super power, Ira reveals he once fainted in a hot spring, an experience which he recommends and George talked about a fondness for the album artwork of Swatdog (featuring said artist sitting cross-legged in ‘bulldog’ underpants).

One girl  hasn’t quite grasped what’s happening and yells ‘Why don’t you just PLAY!” Fortunately, YLT aren’t put off their stride.

 The stripped down version of ‘Autumn Sweater’ and the lilting ‘Dreaming’ sound crisp and sweet in this intimate setting, but seeing Ira wig -out on the guitar whilst sitting on a swivel chair reminds me of why I love this band so much. They are a seriously good musicians who love what they do without taking themselves too seriously.

All up it’s been an entertaining evening of silly stories and great songs, surely a fitting addition to Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown festival. Yo La Tengo have spent a little time in our corner of the world, I look forward to return visits

Tags: Ornette Coleman, Yo La Tengo

by Becky