Darkness filled the room and the lone beam of a flashlight guided the members of Yo La Tengo to the Sydney Opera House stage. Appreciative hoots and hollers echoed throughout as they casually strolled to their respective spots. Cool, calm, and steady in posture, the band took to their assigned positions. Brilliance was not far away.
The impression that these three musical obsessives from New Jersey gave was of one of simplicity. On stage, they were a long way from their domestic roots; perhaps this show was even their first in such salubrious surroundings.
Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan have given us over 30 years of incredible and indelible music, while James Mcnew joined the band a ‘short’ 20 years ago on bass. Just like the marriage of band mates Hubley and Kaplan, this troupe is in it for the long haul. Few bands reach this milestone – and the same could be said for marriages.
On offer were the two defining shades of this dynamic trio: quiet and loud. With their latest offering, Fade, generously visited, ‘Ohm’ started proceedings from this superb record. With the concert hall hushed, Kaplan delicately strummed his acoustic and Hubley brushed the drums during this mesmerising but subdued start.
‘Satellite’ shimmered right afterwards and the vocals of Hubley were endearing as always. She has a tone that takes you deep down within your soul; you feel the words as much as you hear them. The band continued to banter about the clothes they were wearing as they chatted between songs to the so-called opera-loving fans in attendance.
‘Is That Enough’, with the entire band singing along, was heartbreakingly warm and sweet. The group followed this with a trio of new songs from Fade that were well received and, at times, haunting in their delivery. This was simply the first half of a marathon of sound that would engrain the beauty and power of Yo La Tengo into the soul of the live audience.
After a short break, the band returned to the stage adorned with a full rock drum kit and the amps turned up to a buzz. Kaplan launched into ‘Stupid Things’ with a chiming guitar that soon headed into louder feedback-laced noise combined with the solid drumming of Hubley.
Loud was simply not the adjective to describe the howl and wail and continual vibration coming from the stage. There was not to be a moment of peace until the set was complete.
During the quiet section of the performance, the band bantered with the audience, but this was all put on hold for part two. Reverb and guitar noise echoed from one song into the next until the drummer ratified the beat by banging her drumsticks together, a technique that clearly defined the next song. ‘Moby Octopad’ morphed into ‘Little Eyes’ and then into ‘Super Kiwi’ without a moment of silence between. Lyrics aside, not a word was said to the crowd.
Kaplan and the band were energised and while they may not sound like many other trios, they do transmit the energy of outfits like Sonic Youth and Neil Young when they let loose. The beat was moving the ears of all inside the shell-shaped pavilion and the bass buffeted the skeletons of the people near the stage. Cathartic and awe-inspiring to most, the volume did pose problems to some as a few gentler folks headed for the doors.
‘Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind’ was one of the most exciting rock n’ roll performances the Opera House might have to ever withstand. The guitarist was pulsating and quivering as sound throbbed from his instrument – all before handing one of the axes to the first row and allowing audience members to continue the sonic assault with him. As the song ended, it felt like the room was still levitating from this six-string attack that went on for close to ten minutes.
‘Slow Death’, ‘Tom Courtenay’, and ‘Griselda’ completed the set, though the heads and ears in the room were no doubt still reeling long after the show’s close.
Setlist
Ohm
Satellite
Is That Enough
Saturday
Nothing to Hide
The Point of It
Cornelia and Jane
I’ll Be Around
Big Day Coming // Stupid Things
Moby Octopad
Little Eyes
Super Kiwi
Stockholm Syndrome
Before We Run
False Alarm
From a Motel 6
Pass the Hatchet I Think I’m Goodkind
Encore:
Slow Death
Tom Courtenay
Grisleda
