LIVE REVIEW: Yard Act @ The Terrace
BY Elliot Novak
Yard Act at the Memorial Union (Elliot Novak)
For all of the qualms I hold with the United Kingdom, I must admit that their post-punk scene is quite unmatched. This past week I had the opportunity to see Leeds natives, Yard Act and it was unlike any show that I had attended. Prior to their set at Riot Fest, the group played a free show at the Memorial Union Terrace here on campus and it was phenomenal. On their tour Yard Act was accompanied by post-punk band Stuck from Chicago and for this particular show, they were joined by Oshkosh-based art-punk band The Present Age (one of my all time personal favorite bands in the Wisconsin music scene.) All three bands were truly a sight to behold.
The Present Age opened the show with a string of songs from their latest release Radio Static Intelligible. They kicked it off with the rousing track “I Feel Electric”, getting the audience enthralled with their upbeat movements and rhythms. The group performed staples from the album including “Working Evil,” “Anthropocene Blues,” and even debuted my personal favorite from the album, “Locks Fasten.” I’m a firm believer that The Present Age is one of the strongest bands in the Wisconsin scene right now and this show did nothing but cement that belief.
Setlist Highlights: “Working Evil,” “Anthropocene Blues,” “Locks Fasten,” “Clumsy Ascetic”
After The Present Age wrapped up, Stuck took the stage and absolutely rocked it. Playing music from their album Freak Frequency that came out earlier this year as well as their 2020 release Change Is Bad and 2021 EP Content That Makes You Feel Good, the band definitely kept the crowd feeling good as they performed. My personal favorite track of the night from Stuck was “Break The Arc,” but their entire set was truly wonderful.
Setlist Highlights: “Punisher,” “Planet Money,” “Fool’s Idol,” “Break The Arc”
The crowd was full of energy as Yard Act opened with the track “Rich” off their debut album, The Overload and the intensity did not waver throughout the entire set. From their danceable instrumentals to their sarcastic and brash lyrics on the current state of the world, Yard Act exemplified the label of “Post-Brexit New Wave” that NPR assigned them into in 2021 alongside bands such as Shame, Squid, and Black Country, New Road (whom I was fortunate enough to see twice earlier in the week but that’s a story for another time).
Setlist Highlights: “Rich,” “Dead Horse,” “The Trenchcoat Factory,” “The Overload”
