Tune-Yards, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

 

Holly Williams
Thursday 16 February 2012 11:43 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Is it a tribal chant or a yodel? A squawk or a chirrup? Merrill Garbus - aka Tune-Yards - is back, after the triumphant critical success of last year's album whokill, and live she's as arresting as ever.

There's the trademark streak of warpaint and a warm grin across her face; she stands in just her socks. In an unaccompanied intro, she uses that incredibly powerful voice as a teasing instrument, and looping pedals to layer up the different vocal effects, before starting to whack two upright drums. “Do you wanna live?” she bellows, before launching into a call and response of “yeah!”s. Life affirming? You bet.

Tune-Yards' sound has certainly beefed up since Garbus' bedroom recording days, and it's a shame that nothing from her 2009 DIY début Bird Brains get a look in tonight. But the follow-up has clearly won her a legion of fans; it's rare to see this level of enraptured engagement at a gig.

It's obvious why, though. The trick they pull off, ('they' being Garbus, bassist Nate Brenner, plus two saxophonists) is being technically tight and impressively complex while still playing rollicking good-time music.

Most tracks are gradually built up, with Garbus banging out interlaced, complicated rhythms, recording as she goes and stacking them on top of one another, before repeating that process with her vocals, and finally there's an injection of funk with a driving bass line or a wild sax refrain. One minute you're marvelling at how she can multitask with a smile, hands tapping while feet fiddle with pedals; the next you're not really thinking about the technicalities at all, but are just swept along.

There are sublime moments in most numbers: when the growling bassline on 'Gangsta' is supplemented by siren calls from Garbus' voluminous lungs. Or when she shifts from a wryly knowing rap to singing into her ukulele as a vocal echo chamber on 'Killa'. Or when the bass kicks in on 'Powa', and it shifts from a loopingly harmonised lullaby to a low-slung, pelvis-rocking groove-fest that has the audience head bouncing as if they were at a hip-hop gig.

This is their largest headline show yet, and certainly feels less cosy than previous Tune-Yards gigs. But while the intimacy, and between-song chatter, may be lost, the bounding, beaming, heart-swelling boldness of it all still remains. Do you wanna live? You don't have much choice but to accept the challenge.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in