Yo La Tengo / Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - London Shepherd's Bush Empire - 1/3/04
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Really, and in spite of the cliché, it's a match made in heaven. A double-headline juxtaposition of two acts of varying, unashamedly quirky, obscure exploits - but simultaneous purveyors of enough common-ground to act as catalysts that set each other off sublimely. Really, why don't more bands do it like this?
Given the nature of the evening, and let's not be mistaken here, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are not supporting - they're just on first. And in part at least, perhaps in reverence at the smooth sophistication of their co-headliners (who, as shall be seen later, reverse that common conception anyway), the quirky, zany pop chaps we know GZM to be are taking something of a more studied route to rock us this evening. That doesn't mean we don't get dog impersonations (it's 'Poodle Rocking' and it's ace), or St David's Day celebrations sung in their native Welsh tongue to round the evening off, but otherwise, we're confronted with a much more calculated, calm proposition that we may have thought likely.
They run around swapping instruments, are forever slipping in choruses from songs you thought they'd finished ages ago, come across like the most relaxed bunch of musicians ever to take to a stage and in the midst of everything, find time to play some utterly fantastic tunes, too - 'Christina' transporting all present to sunnier climes, 'Can Megan' wistfully wonderful, and 'Sweet Johnny' just a bizarre, infectious piano-pummel of a rock song. Whilst it's tempting to compare them to countrymen the Super Furry Animals just out of geographical convenience, it is in fact a rather fair touchstone: simply nobody else in the British Isles is managing to be so soothing, so disregarding of boundaries and quite this tuneful as these two groups. And really, that's a grave shame.
A fine performance - nobody will contest that, but Yo La Tengo just about edge it. Where Gorky's are excellent, YLT are stunning. The only criticism you could point at them is they pronounce part of their preceding band's name 'Mincey' instead of 'Monkey'. Other than that, it's nigh-on perfect.
Anyone who thinks Meg White is the finest female drummer in the world should see Georgia Hubley play and be converted. Then they should hear her sing, and fall in love. Anyone who thinks Ira Kaplan is only good for some introspective, subtle keyboard plinks should hear him play the most mind-bending, life-altering noise-guitar and kick themselves. Thinking about it, James McNew isn't a bad bass-player either. His drumming is also pretty good. And singing, guitar-playing, keyboard-technique, sampler skills...
Yo La Tengo are very nearly everything. They're achingly beautiful on 'Season Of The Shark', desperately funny in conversation, perversely hypnotic on 'Little Eyes', prone to extensive outbursts of white noise and guitar squall, and - here's a word we never thought we'd use in a review of their live show - what choreography. For a brilliant 'Nothing But You And Me', the trio drop instruments and come to the front of the stage, before informing us that they're about to play their instruments using only the magic of telekinesis. O... K. A switch is flicked, and a backing-track arrives. Ira walks along the front row, crooning. James and Georgia however, provide full on Motown 'shoop shoop' backing-vocals, with meticulously planned dance moves to match. It's possibly the cutest, quaintest thing ever.
We get an improvised, drawn-out, call and response style song about nuclear war (main message: 'It's a motherf**ker'), a sincere thank you for choosing to come to see them over Love, who were playing on the other side of town, and an hour and a half of some of the greatest music guitars, drums, bass and keyboards have to offer. They finish on a Love song, by way of apology. Quite why isn't clear, when it's plainly apparent - All You Need Is Yo La Tengo.
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