People who have never tried to see Yak live cannot fully appreciate the enormity of their mistake. The band are one of the most exciting propositions on the live circuit and being able to see them in the small venues they are still playing is a chance not to be missed. With this in mind, catching them at The Magnet in Liverpool, one of my favourite local venues, was always going to be special.
Photo: Press
The band started their set with ‘Smile’ and glided seamlessly through from there, only stopping for applause sporadically, racking up the excitement throughout the set. Driven by the bass of Andy Jones, we were rewarded with old favourites such as ‘Cumberland Gap’, as well as all three tracks from the recently released 'No' EP. Things got more and more frantic, with Elliot Rawson smashing the drumming, hair flying as he beat his kit into submission. Oli Burslem spent time surfing the crowd, and on his knees in front of the stage, leaning back as if in some sort of Dervish trance. If you like Yak but only listen to their recorded stuff, you’re missing half the fun. Catch them on this tour if you haven’t already. With industry interest flying at them from all corners, and an EP produced by Steve Mackey of Pulp on Jack White’s record label Third Man Records, Yak are making waves the size of a tsunami.