The four members of The Locust take to the stage, not so much in a swarm devouring all before them, but rather like monochrome Spider Men. Each member is wearing a locust hood and circulation threatening tight trousers. If this is not bizarre enough they then ‘treat’ the crowd to half an hour of the most brutal, tuneless grind core smattered with electronic white noise this reviewer has ever heard. Each song is virtually indistinguishable from the last, that is to say they all sound like Napalm Death bottling Atari Teenage Riot in a particularly vicious bar brawl. Half the crowd lap this up whilst the other half offer constructive criticism along the lines of ‘boring’ and ‘you’re shit’. The latter half are right.
Last years debut album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ‘Fever to Tell’, was in these eyes one of the albums of the year. A blend of visceral garage rock and self-aware artiness it sounded unlike anything else out there and in Karen O they had a genuine star in their line up. This show at the Forum sold out in hours, part of a whistle stop tour of the country and the crowd is full of Karen O wannabies. This is a very good thing.
Drummer Brian Chase and guitarist Nick Zinner take to the stage and strike up a drawn out introduction to ‘Y Control’. As the song kicks in Karen O bounds onstage in what can only be described as an electric blue futuristic cheer leader outfit. The crowd go ape shit. It is utterly impossible to take your eyes off Karen O. She seems to be about 8 feet tall. She is a charisma overload, full of primal rage and fury one minute, strutting up and down the stage pulling poses the next. In between she manages to deliver a devastating vocal performance full of yelps, growls and shrieks. She is utterly sexy but it is completely on her own terms. All the girls want to be her and all the boys are in love with her.
Don’t think for one moment however that this is entirely her show. Nick Zinner gets noises out of his guitar you wouldn’t believe possible and Brian Chase nails it all down on the drums. ‘Pin’ is a glorious slab of primal garage rock with that marvellous chorus which consists of Karen O mimicking the guitar sound. During ‘Art Star’, off the first EP, Karen O attempts to swallow her microphone whilst performing the backwards crab and indulging in cathartic screaming. It is utterly unhinged and absolutely mesmerising.
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They play virtually the whole of the album and most of the debut EP. They also manage to wheel out a couple of new songs which although don’t stray to far from the first album do already sound like future favourites. The undoubted highlight for many is ‘Maps’. As ‘They don’t love you like I love you’ refrain rings round the Forum it is apparent behind the demented rock and roll beats a warm heart. It is this balance between the primal and animalistic and the ‘oh so very’ human that lifts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs above ‘another arty New York band’ tag. However, it is the next song ‘Date with the Night’ that is the highlight for this reviewer, in particular that mind blowing middle section when Nick Zinner really let’s rip is a sight and sound to behold.
Karen O returns for the encore dressed as an alien. No, really. She still looks fantastic. ‘Bang’ sounds just as raw and menacing as it did the first time. ‘As a fuck son you suck’ she taunts and as put downs go that one must be pretty devastating. They finish with ‘Modern Romance’ and Karen O slowly exits the stage, still singing, until finally she disappears leaving the boys to bring it on home, which they do with style. Tonight may have only been a stop over for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but it served as the ultimate taster for the next chapter in the story of this most thrilling of bands.
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