Yard Act frontman James Smith seemed pretty chuffed to be playing Yard Act’s biggest NYC show yet, playing to a packed house and “surrounded by the best band in the world.” It was the first date of their November North American tour that wraps up at Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival, and being a Saturday night the band and the crowd were ready to have fun.
With a new, decidedly more dancey album due early next year, Yard Act have added a keyboard player / percussionist / saxophonist to give them a little more groove, with some songs now flowing seamlessly into the other. Perhaps all the choreography in their recent videos has upped his game a little: Smith danced in his trench coat for most of the set and the audience bounced along with him. Speaking of, recent single “The Trench Coat Museum” was one of the night’s highlights and the crowd sang along just as loudly as to older songs like “The Overload” and “100% Endurance.” They also played Wham!-esque new single “Dream Job” and another new one, “Petroleum.”
When the band came back out for the encore, Smith remarked how much he liked the venue, which is also a Polish social club, and noted that his family was Polish and that his heritage figured into the narrative of Yard Act’s early single “Fixer Upper,’ which they then launched into. The night wrapped up with another early song, “The Trapper’s Pelts.” A terrific show.
Also on the bill were YHWH Nailgun whose astringent but danceable post-punk made for a great lead-in for Yard Act, and the night started with NJ’s Francie Moon. Photos of the whole show by P Squared are in this post. Check those out along with Yard Act’s Warsaw setlist and a little fan-shot video, below.
SETLIST: Yard Act @ Warsaw 11/4/2023
Dead Horse
Dark Days
Petroleum
Payday
The Trench Coat Museum
Peanuts
Dream Job
Pour Another
100% Endurance
Witness (Can I Get A?)
The Overload
Land of the Blind
Encore:
Fixer Upper
The Trapper’s Pelts
