My strongest apologies. This is the kind of review I hate to write because, well, frankly you had to be there and if you wern’t – sorry because it was amazing! And if you get nothing else from this – just go see tUnE-yArDs!
My first experience with tUnE-yArDs’ live show is a story of shame. Shame because it took moving to Brighton to see her when she regularly played in Los Angeles over the summer. In fact, she opened for Micachu & The Shapes’ July show at the Echo where I patiently waited out her set in the ourtyard. But a few days prior to her February show at the Freebutt in Brighton, a friend recommended her album to me. I was impressed but knew that I had to see the live show before being completely convinced by her somewhat wacky, textured, sweet album ‘BiRd BrAiNs’. Merrill Garbus took the stage, with her bassist (Nate Brenner), a small drum kit and a ukulele. The crowd was mildly sized, but all looked ecstatic to see what she would bring to her first show in Brighton and her first show on her run throughout the UK and Europe.
After the first song of the night, I knew we were witnessing something truly special. Merrill gave all the songs on ‘BiRd BrAiNs’ the ultimate justice – transforming what comes off very heavily as ‘made in the bedroom’ on the album into expertly layered loops with incredible oomph live. Garbus has a knack for conveying power and control over not only her voice but her beautiful songs. Her knack for being able to jump from commanding to sweet was unparalleled. ‘Hatari’ was an awakening – her almost yodeling vocals were straight from the gut and that’s just where they hit the audience, her joyful screams elicited grins from the audience who began to really groove with every beat and every note.
The personal highlight for me was the beautiful, soft, and intimate ‘News’. I know I spoke about how much force and husky power Merrill can evoke with her vocals, but ‘News’ is possibly the most tender warning (as in, I’m warning you, don’t fuck with me!) song ever. The layered drumming and clicking works better live than it does on the album, it took it from its place in the basement (on the album) to something dynamic and endearing live.‘Fiya’ is another tune that saw Merrill turn away from her husky natural vocal place and bring out that tender intimate croon. It’s amazing what she can do with her voice – hype the audience up, or bring them in so close it feels like you’ve been friends for ages.
This review is doing the show no justice whatsoever. It’s not very often that, in attempting to leave the venue, I walk up a completely wrong set of steps because I’m so focused on the amazing show I just saw. It’s not often that I walk out of a venue with a grin on my face and proceed to gush about the show for another 45 minutes to someone that was standing right next to me and saw the whole thing. There was such a warm, cottony atmosphere of appreciation and affection for Merrill and her tunes and it was with genuine surprise and kindness that she accepted the crowds warm welcome and insistence that she come back. It was clear that they had no clue that the show was going to be such a tour-de-force and the smile on her face after she walked off, post encore (of which, they don’t do many) said everything. And the best part about it all, really, besides everything else was that it was fairly fucking evident that this is not all Merrill and her incarnation of tUnE-yArDs have to give – the well of creativity in her mind is definitely not going to dry up soon and the fact that she can put it across live the way she did that night… well, she’s going places.
10/10
DOWNLOAD -> tUnE-yArDs – Jumping Jack
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Tags: tune-yards
