Yellowcard/Less Than Jake (Koko, 10/3/15)
Co-headline shows are a pain in the arse. If you only like one of the bands involved, you're deprived of a full length headline show. If they're on second, you have to sit through a band you have no interest in for an extended period of time. If they're on first, the band going on second are playing to a portion of the crowd for whom the main event is already over. It's problematic.
That should not be the case for me as I'm a huge fan of both Yellowcard and Less Than Jake. Regrettably tonight I also have to sit through the French pop-punk act Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!. I'm aware their name is a reference to The Goonies, but it doesn't make it or them any less awful. They play for half an hour, as fast and as loud as they can, throwing in post-hardcore screams at random intervals for no particular reason. A cover of Smash Mouth's "All Star" might be the single most naff thing I've ever seen at a gig. Absolute bobbins.
Thank goodness then, for Less Than Jake. Over their 75 minute set, the Florida ska punkers turn Koko into party central, with confetti cannons, balloons, some sort of TP machine and punters dancing on stage. I've never seen them put on a bad show and this was no exception. Opening with enormous singalong hit "Look What Happened" is a masterstroke and the energy in the room seldom lets up in a performance that's a tight as a drum. There are moments of self-indulgence and for all the great tunes in this set, it's difficult to overlook the fact that they played a 1980s TV jingle three times rather than the best song in their discography, Gainesville Rock City. But I'll forgive them. By the time they've ended with "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads", I feel like I'm 16 again.
Truthfully, it wasn't Yellowcard's night. It's a combination of things really. The crowd are tired out from Less Than Jake, a decent proportion of Londoners are bellends, there's a growing sense of Tuesday night lethargy and Koko's temperamental sound isn't doing them any favours. It's the second UK tour in succession that they've played there and I'd be having words with my booking agent if I were them. Anyway, this crowd seem to be expecting the hits and it's a while before Yellowcard indulge them. They released a new record last year, "Lift A Sail", that represents something of a departure from pop-punk into something that vaguely resembles arena rock. Some of these songs and sonically enormous and the live sound needs to match. From where I'm standing, they sound muddy and the atmosphere feels muted as a consequence.
When Yellowcard play to their strengths (foot to the floor pop punk), the gig picks up. "Rough Landing Holly", the stand out track from 2005's disappointing "Lights and Sounds" is electrifying in no small part due to Sean Mackin's furious violin. They close with a double bill of "Way Away" and "Ocean Avenue", the title track from Yellowcard's breakout 2003 album. It sees me out the door in good spirits, if yearning for a headline tour in a more appropriate venue soon.
That should not be the case for me as I'm a huge fan of both Yellowcard and Less Than Jake. Regrettably tonight I also have to sit through the French pop-punk act Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!. I'm aware their name is a reference to The Goonies, but it doesn't make it or them any less awful. They play for half an hour, as fast and as loud as they can, throwing in post-hardcore screams at random intervals for no particular reason. A cover of Smash Mouth's "All Star" might be the single most naff thing I've ever seen at a gig. Absolute bobbins.
Thank goodness then, for Less Than Jake. Over their 75 minute set, the Florida ska punkers turn Koko into party central, with confetti cannons, balloons, some sort of TP machine and punters dancing on stage. I've never seen them put on a bad show and this was no exception. Opening with enormous singalong hit "Look What Happened" is a masterstroke and the energy in the room seldom lets up in a performance that's a tight as a drum. There are moments of self-indulgence and for all the great tunes in this set, it's difficult to overlook the fact that they played a 1980s TV jingle three times rather than the best song in their discography, Gainesville Rock City. But I'll forgive them. By the time they've ended with "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads", I feel like I'm 16 again.
Truthfully, it wasn't Yellowcard's night. It's a combination of things really. The crowd are tired out from Less Than Jake, a decent proportion of Londoners are bellends, there's a growing sense of Tuesday night lethargy and Koko's temperamental sound isn't doing them any favours. It's the second UK tour in succession that they've played there and I'd be having words with my booking agent if I were them. Anyway, this crowd seem to be expecting the hits and it's a while before Yellowcard indulge them. They released a new record last year, "Lift A Sail", that represents something of a departure from pop-punk into something that vaguely resembles arena rock. Some of these songs and sonically enormous and the live sound needs to match. From where I'm standing, they sound muddy and the atmosphere feels muted as a consequence.
When Yellowcard play to their strengths (foot to the floor pop punk), the gig picks up. "Rough Landing Holly", the stand out track from 2005's disappointing "Lights and Sounds" is electrifying in no small part due to Sean Mackin's furious violin. They close with a double bill of "Way Away" and "Ocean Avenue", the title track from Yellowcard's breakout 2003 album. It sees me out the door in good spirits, if yearning for a headline tour in a more appropriate venue soon.
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