Yo La Tengo 

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• Yo La Tengo

  Tuesday 20th October. Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Yo La Tengo. I have written before about what makes a great gig and there are many variables; beer, the music, friends, energy, lights and personal frame of mind. I come to this gig with my son in hospital but decided to still come to provide a temporary distraction.

  Yo La Tengo have been going for years and have a produced a fine array of esoteric albums taking in a whole variety of styles sometimes within the same album. They are over touring in support of their new largely covers album.

  Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals opens the night with a solo acoustic set that was difficult to hear and even more difficult to see as he was sat down and Shepherds Bush Empire has at best a flat floor and at worst an inverse camber.

  The stage is sparsely dressed with easels of paintings from the band and friends and family and we await what will be an acoustic show complete with upright bass and drums just played with brushes. The only exception the electric guitar of on off band member Dave Schramm.

  It’s a quietly hushed affair as the band cover songs by everyone from the Cure to the Bonzo Dog band. The music is beautifully played and works well particularly for the three part harmonies but ultimately the first hour doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s all a bit one paced and with no real variation in tone or mood. Second half picks up after Friday I’m in Love but ultimately we’re not taken on any sort of journey. Highlight was probably Rhys joining the band for Rings around the world.

  We talked in the pub beforehand about seating in the Empire and afterwards I felt that this particular gig would have really benefitted from being all seated. The lack of energy on stage translates to the audience and I was surprised that anything tonight generated the odd woop after each song.

  I maybe doing the band a disservice as my mind could have been distracted but isn’t that the whole point of music. To take you to another place. It did but unfortunately for me the blandness overtook the beauty in this grey countryside that lacked any other colour.

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  por garyw66

• Yo la Tengo is one of the most hardworking bands in the music industry consistently cranking out great albums and touring regularly. Their music translates best when performed live as the band experiments with bold and interesting sounds that keep the audience thoroughly engaged. For a three-piece band, Yo la Tengo holds its form quite well. Drummer, Georgia Hubley, holds down the rhythm with her atmospheric style of playing and often lends her vocals to create a beautiful Nico-esque quality of singing, James McNew plays intricate rhythms on the bass helping put form to the song when guitarist, Ira Kaplan experiments with crazy, howling tones on his guitar. Yo la Tengo are masters at taking complete cacophonic sounds and turning them into a beautiful, catchy melody. Perhaps the best part about a Yo la Tengo show is when they veer off from traditional form into an impromptu jam session incorporating shoegaze guitar playing into the mix. This band has been together for quite some time and knows exactly how to play off of each other.

  It is quite clear from a Yo la Tengo performance that they are not only incredibly knowledgeable about how to play their instruments, but they are also incredibly knowledgeable of their musical history incorporating many different styles of playing into their performance. They also have a wide range of obscure covers they perform live including artists such as Daniel Johnston, Booker T. & The MG’s, and Small Faces. Yo la Tengo is always doing something unique when they perform live, whether its splitting up their set into acoustic and electric sets or using a giant spinning wheel to dictate the songs they perform. Yo la Tengo was also very accommodating to their audience when I saw them perform by honoring the wishes of the audience’s song selections.

  There are evident reasons why Yo la Tengo has a strong cult following and are recognized as “the quintessential critic’s band”. When going to a Yo la Tengo concert you will never know what to expect, except a great time of music making.

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  por wjmcc

• Yo La Tengo is an indie rock band formed of trio Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). Although the band haven’t exactly hit the mainstream, they nonetheless have a great cult following and their fans are some of the most devoted, crazy fans around. And you can see why. The band is magnificent live. They incorporate a spacey rock sound with experimental instrumentals and obscure and complex arrangements. They are not your typical indie sound by a long shot. I was not expecting such a distinct sound from a rather plain looking band, in all honestly. And while their image may be nothing significant, their music certainly makes up for this. Jam sessions, impromptu shoegazing, haunting vocals and steady drum beats only start to summarise this band. They have been together for a long time and their chemistry and connection with each other is apparent from the very start. In fact, two of the band members are actually married so that probably answers just why they appeared so intimate with each other…

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  por sabraziz

• Indie rock outfit Yo La Tengo are the original critics darlings with the majority of their studio albums achieving high ratings on Metacritic indicating universal acclaim from the global media. When you carry a reputation of this weight, a fanbase materialises with very little need of promotion mainly due to the curiosity to find out if there is substance and reason to the hype.

  Fortunately the way in which the New Jersey instrumentalists conduct their live show is more than reason enough to believe the high acclaim. Despite having gained a reputation as one of the most innovative cover artists of recent years, the band sticks mainly to original work tonight and hold the crowd in a curious concentration as they remain entranced by the three musicians recreating their work. Perhaps it is due to the high level of proficiency and skill they all attain as every instrumental seems to become more complex and the applause grow ever louder. The cover of 'Behind That Locked Door' by George Harrison ends the evening of musical ingenuity perfectly.

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  por sean-ward

• Second time that I watch a concert from Yo La Tengo, really amazing musicians that play for the love of playing and not just for the public. The first part of the concert was really calm while in the second part the rhythm was more energetic and vivacious: the group surprised us with a very beautiful and intense musical journey .

  I suggest this concert to people that are looking for a concert were they want to appreciate the performance of three very good musicians. They tends not to replicate in an exact way their songs but each time they give a new interpretation.

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  por Emmapt

• Yo La Tengo were every bit as good as I hoped. I liked the relative delicacy of the first half and then the very different, more anarchic sound of the second half. Overall it was great but I personally would have liked more quieter songs in total.

  Georgia is amazing - so efficient in driving the band forward and providing the platform for the guitars. She has a lovely voice too.

  The venue was interesting but the advance warning/news about the gig should have included a warning that those with relatively skinny backsides would need to bring a cushion.

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  por FGRTommo

• The review by garryw66 sums up the night. Not many other reviews actually mention the concert that night. Probably for good reason.

  I found it lacklustre unfortunately and as they are such an amazing band I sincerely hope that this road that YLT are travelling along with the new album and live shows is just a tributary and that they rejoin the main road of their inventive and joyful music soon.

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  por LighthouseJB

• Just left the Stone Pony after a mesmerizing show! Yo La Tengo doesn’t disappoint! The playlist featured old and new ,.. loud and soft,... sweet melodies and screeching feedback. The music was- as always crisp and inspiring and built up to a riotous crescendo that rocked the audience producing palpable joy!! Watching/listening to these artists is a thoroughly inspiring experience- don’t miss it!

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  por menares-brown

• Mesmerizing show. They were SO smooth and groovy. The fact that Schramm was back for thrilling guitar solos was icing on the delectable cake. Pantages Theatre downtown Minneapolis had amazing acoustics. It was 26 years ago YLT last played in Minneapolis and my husband was there. I hope it doesn't take another quarter century to get them back to the Midwest. How about Sioux Falls, SD?

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  por laura-nygaard-herman

• Yo La Tengo is an American treasure. Getting to see them in an intimate setting was a chance of a life time. My favorite part of the show was when they went into a heavy noise rock jam and the rich old people who didn't know what to expect starting covering their ears and shaking their heads. It was great. Thank you YLT for keeping it real and rocking the fuck out.

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  por HarryHaller11