Wye Oak [Live] Scala London

Monday 14 Sept 2009

September 17, 2009, 10:37 PM

Views: 387   Comments: 8

After buying the first Wye Oak CD 'If Children' more or less because I liked the cover, I've been quietly blown away by both Wye Oak's albums. This year's 'The Knot' is perhaps less immediate but is hugely repaying the attention it demanded from me the first time it locked me in the car and made me listen.

When I heard that album, I swore that I had to see the band live. Wye Oak announced a late summer tour in Europe, but there would only be two UK dates, one at the End Of The Road Festival which was just not going to happen for me, and the other a Monday night in London. C'mon, it's a school night and I live in the distant North! I resigned myself and gave in to whinging about it to the band via MySpace. Then a bizarre set of circumstances meant that I just had to be in London for two days, and in a hotel 15 minutes walk from the venue. Talk about the planets lining up. The end result being me sat on the front of the stage at London's Scala gossiping with a chatty couple of people about obscure indie bands. Who says Londoners ain't friendly. It was sold out, a good crowd, even if they were (mainly) here for Okkervil River.

When Wye Oak came on and started up, yup, all the stuff was there that I loved from the album. That song structure, that build up and lovely, droned guitar overlay. A huge part of the appeal, for me at least, is the insinuation of Andy and particularly Jenn's voice. But why Wye Oak in particular? You might be puzzled by me saying this, it's their close observation of family values. Like a shark cunningly disguised as a dolphin - it looks all innocent, but they're deep waters and dangerous to probe. You could lose a leg. Like I say, family values.

I've been intrigued in one respect when I've seen videos of them, and I was not let down. Playing the drums with his feet and one hand, keyboard with the other, Andy does indeed come off looking - not sounding - like a one man band. When he put the melodica tube in his mouth as well, (for comic effect he could have been in Carnaby Street) somebody behind me asked aloud if he could perhaps just get one or two more instruments on the go at the same time. Andy man, I'm saying this with affection, the way that all hangs is just fine, it's just a momentary observation from the front row.


Crowd and band exchanged pleasantries. They told us they were from Baltimore, we responded with quips about the Wire - You feel me? They had the good grace to laugh.

Did they really, really not play 'That I Do'? Perhaps they did and I was lost for a moment in hyperspace. If they didn't, on the face of it, that's an omission. Someone tell me they did, and I'll happily accept that I can go to a gig waiting for this song above all others and then somehow not hear it.

Saying what I've said about the muted tones of Jenn's voice, I'd rather have heard them is some quieter setting, these guys properly deserve reverence. If I'm honest, and I have to be, Jenn's vocal was slightly lost here tonight. I could still hear every word, just not the nuance that's on the recording and that's had me by the guts. Mind you, I was hardly in the sweet spot for sound, knees pressed against the stage, leaning on the monitors. What's it gonna be, close to the front or perfect audio? I wasn't for moving.

Like I say, I'd got talking to the guy stood next to me. He must hold some kind of record for going to an indie gig every night of the year or something, so not some casual bystander. His opinion - good but they didn't have him straight out of the traps. I just don't think that's the name of the game with these two, they take me back to my teenage belief listening to Bolan and Bowie that if it appeals too easily, then that appeal's too easily lost. It's just a pity that what makes Wye Oak's music really stand out was only coming through at 90%. The music ranges from almost acoustic folk to shizzled, buzzed, rocked out reverb, and that's how they were. Andy providing the mainstay, Jenn going from gaze intensive vocals to thrashing and bouncing across the stage, jumping and hopping in her school teacher shoes. It would have been cute if it wasn't so darned impressive.

So did they manage it then, with this audience? If whoops, hollers and hands clapping over heads give an objective view, then yes for sure they did, they made lots of new friends on a Monday night at the Scala in London.


No set list for me to geekily photograph, but they've been on the road in Europe for weeks with the States still to come, so not surprised they know the running order by now. Everything tonight though was off the new album except for the last two. Second to last was a new one that I didn't catch the name of, but it impressed. They closed with 'Family Glue.' That's one of the most powerful off the first record and one of the reasons I love their stuff anyway - "We are family glue, leaving a legacy of 'tell me to' - Behaviour made of lead…" all coming across with a resigned nonchalance that belies the hidden passions and minor tragedies of families and relationships - see what I mean about family values. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and that's one good way to end a set


I found them afterwards flogging CDs - they're still small enough to be doing all that and the roadie stuff themselves. I didn't want to get in the way of trade, but these nice people were keen to exchange a few words about touring and about the review of The Knot that we gave them here on Altsounds. Like I say, I'd berated Andy across MySpace about not doing more UK dates, and he remembered this as well. It was a really good sign that they were running out of CDs to sell. I had the last copy of the The Knot off them as a keepsake of the night. I mean, I've got it on download, but it's just not the same is it?

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