Being the centre of attention must be a strange thing for John Hassall. With the circus that was The Libertines closed until further notice, it would be all too easy to imagine the ‘quiet one’ left behind; treading water as his bickering buddies disappear over the horizon in a flurry of camera flashes.
But Hassall plainly has no intention of slipping obediently into obscurity; he has a new band and perhaps with past distractions now behind him he can use those experiences to create something special of his own.
There are five Yetis, and even though bass duties are delegated to Brendan Kersey, to view this purely as Hassall’s band does an injustice to the others. Rhythm guitar player Harmony Williams is an able vocal supplement for Hassall’s surprisingly tuneful tones. Drummer Graham Blacow is capable of hammering out plenty of noise and Andrew Deian-Jung - Yeti’s secret weapon - is a lead guitarist with the apparent ability to enhance and beautify a song at will. A tight unit they are indeed.
This compatibility is apparent from the first song, the spirited, upbeat ‘Sense of Wonder.’ Next up is ‘Working for the Industry’, a punchier number which is topped off by a great guitar part, similar in substance to Robby Krieger’s jangle on ‘People Are Strange.’
By now it’s pretty clear that Yeti don’t sound much like The Libertines; "Rubber Soul"- era Beatles would be a more accurate likeness. If you had to pick contemporaries they’ve at least as much in common with bands like The Coral or Delays as with The Libs; there’s something warm and summery about their music.
‘Merry Go Round’ is one track that demonstrates this and must be in with a shout at being a single; three way vocal harmonies, the catchiest chorus of the night and yet more tuneful lead guitar come together and help to maintain the set’s momentum. In fact, the impetus isn’t lost all night, even when Kersey breaks a string. As he disappears to find a replacement, Hassall exchanges a word with the others and a few seconds later none other than Shane MacGowan wanders slowly through the audience clutching a screwed up piece of paper. Squinting at the lyrics, he lends his voice to Desmond Dekker’s ‘The Israelites’ before doffing his top hat and ambling back to a gin and tonic. Not a bad way to fill time while your bassist changes a string.
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So, as a band, Yeti seem comfortable with what they are doing and they’ve probably got enough good songs for a decent first record. What’s more, you get the impression they really mean this - on top of the quiet confidence and obvious rehearsal time they seem to be drinking pints of water; not exactly the debauched behaviour we’ve come to expect from this current breed of rock star.
In many ways it would be nice to think that this could be a new start for Hassall. However, whilst tonight’s performance is an impressive declaration of intent, we need to hear a record before getting too carried away. We also need to find out if having a former Libertine in the ranks proves to be a shot in the arm or a shackle around the Yeti’s neck - something only time can tell.
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