June 10, 2003 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
BY LISA VERRICO
Forum, NW5
NOT much more than a year ago, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were playing rooms above pubs and in tiny, basement clubs. Admittedly there was already a buzz about the trendy New York trio, in Britain at least, but that was as much to do with the way they fitted into the much-hyped garage-rock revival scene — the band has supported both the Strokes and the White Stripes — as it did with their actual songs. After all, back then the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had released just one EP on a little independent label. In recent months, however, the YYYs have shot into the spotlight on their own merit. Their debut album, Fever to Tell — a spiky mix of retro, bluesy rock, new wave and lots of lyrics about sex, mostly played at a furious pace — entered the British charts just outside the Top 10, despite their songs being too risqué for radio. There have been offers to use the group’s music on adverts (they said no), an invitation to tour with Marilyn Manson (no, again) and glowing reviews everywhere, from Vogue and Vanity Fair to the metal magazine Kerrang! Hence a one-off concert in London at the weekend — the group will be back for the Reading and Leeds festivals — had sold out well in advance and was packed with fashionable people expecting something special. And in the supercharged, punk-rock power of the sound and charismatic performance of singer Karen O, they weren’t let down. Like the White Stripes, the YYYs don’t bother with a bassist and nor do they need to. The guitarist, Nick Zinner, made more than enough noise on his own, and still had time for some serious posing, while drummer Brian Chase was as fast and efficient as a programmed drum machine. It was Karen O who stole the show though. Conservatively dressed (for her) in a pale pink sleeveless Fifties- style dress, with her trademark black bob and badly applied lipstick, the singer lived up to her style icon status and kept the crowd entertained with high kicks and a salacious routine with what looked like a padded scarf. More importantly, O’s bewitching vocals were part P. J. Harvey, part Debbie Harry and part Siouxsie Sioux. Even when she simply screeched, which she did a lot, she was always in tune. The only disappointment was that it was almost impossible to make out the lyrics, a shame since O writes some deliciously dirty rhymes. The set — 50 minutes of music taken from Fever to Tell and two EPs released last year — was a touch short on tunes too, although fans on the dancefloor, who moshed from start to finish, clearly didn’t care. Give them Karen over Kylie any day.