YACHT
The Sinclair, Boston, MA
11.09.15

L.A. band YACHT brought their electro-pop commentary to Cambridge club The Sinclair for a night fluctuating between wit and fatalism, with an empathetic eye on pop culture. Multi-instrumentalist Jona Bechtolt and vocalist Claire L. Evans were joined on tour by Rob Kieswetter, a frequent collaborator. The set began with HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, singing “Daisy Bell” before the band broke into “L.A. Plays Itself,” a narcissistic dance-ready track off the bands latest album I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler.

Evans, in all her androgynous beauty owns the stage in a dark jumpsuit with her bright red mic, her eclectic dance moves endearing her to the mostly college-age crowd. The bands’ upside-down smiley face emblem hung from banners on the instruments. During the second song, “The Afterlife,” Evans jumped down into the audience, running around the venue floor, pausing only to hug a few fans. Otherwise, she deftly navigated the front of the stage, interacting with the crowd, letting one audience member kiss her hand.

Bechtolt and Kieswetter swapped sides multiple times during the show, trading bass and guitar. Their dark remix of the bands hit “Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire)” off of their 2011 album Shangri-La was reminiscent of Pink Floyd, before the keyboards kicked in. A bit later, during a break between songs a phone was heard, Evans looked into the audience to see who’s phone it was… “Alright you guys, who’s is it? No one owned up, the ring happened again… Bechtolt says “I think you should get that,” and Evans jumped in with “Oh, right” picking up a red handset located on the table next to one of the keyboards and proceeded to have a conversation with someone on the other end.  “I told you not to call me at this number,” “oh I’m just doing a show,” then she pointed the receiver at the crowd “Say Hi” to which the crowd shouted “HI!” and the band launched into “Ringtone.”

“How you guys doing?” Asked Evans, “our show is a like a medical prognosis, gotta keep checking in.”

More than a band, more than an art project, YACHT convey both incredibly well-produced dance-pop and cultural observation with the best of them. Go check them out whenever you get the chance.

Opener Larry Gus – the recording name of Greek producer Panagiotis Melidis – gave an intense solo performance in a mix of Greek and English, sampler and pedals and a bit of snare mashing together into an experimental electronica loop. With his name lit up in a huge LED display, Gus worked the stage, kneeling down in front before rushing back to maneuver more pedals, while the crowd got into their dance groove. On his latest release I Need New Eyes, Gus pares down his chaos a bit but it doesn’t lose anything to live interpretation. Definitely a great pairing with YACHT.

YACHT Set List
L.A. Plays Itself
The Afterlife
Works Like Magic
I Wanna Fuck You Till I’m Dead (Family Fodder cover)
Plastic Soul
Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire)
Hologram
Ringtone
Don’t Be Rude
Space Girl Blues (DEVO cover)
Second Summer
Le Goudron
Where Does This Disco?
Encore:
I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler
Psychic City (Voodoo City)

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Alex Crick

YACHT
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