Live (Online)
Working Men's Club
YES, Manchester
July 3 2020
Words: Paul Dawson
With Corvid-19's lockdown tentacles still spread across the UK and Ireland, and gigs performances postponed or cancelled, the independent music scene has been searching for ways to reach out to fans desperate for a taste of live music.
To this end, Working Men’s Club came up with the idea to play a full-band live show, from a real live venue, and filmed in multi-camera HD with broadcast quality audio through which to transmit to their socially distant fans.
As the lights go down in Manchester, WMC present a truly unique live performance from YES. It might be a largely empty venue in terms of audience, but in how they come over in such a scenario, the answer is, surprisingly well. This is a band with natural bravado and stage presence, and creating a spark ia something they are well up to doing.
They head off with 'Valleys' - an as yet, still to make its impact tune, which only made its live debut in France in February, but reflects the area of the country, the Calder Valley, they hail from. It's the first of a full eight-song set which clocked in at just over an hour, and came as a welcome taster of their held back debut album (now rescheduled for release in October) with all bar one of the songs ('Bad Blood') to be featured on it.
The aforementioned 'Bad Blood' without a doubt provided one of the strongest performance of the night. Syd Minsky-Sargeant's voice rises to the occasion on this hypnotic debut single with its post-punk rhythms. It is clear the four-piece gave a particular fondness for this fan-favourite, making sure this song was delivered to the best of their ability - and it certainly was.
The production and vocals are strong and on top form as they go through the driving 'Cook a Coffee', with the guitars working splendidly in unison; their homage to the Bard of Salford, 'John Cooper Clarke'; the frenetic 'A.A.A.A.' - resonant with electronic drums beat and gritty synth - and closing with the dark and biting, new wave-influenced 'Teeth', that makes you want to get up and bop around the (front) room.
Overall, a Working Men’s Club gig, without a physical crowd, was something truly different, but just as entertaining - and very welcome. But hopefully it won’t be too long before they are back performing in front of a live audience once again.
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