Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hi Fi Bar - 21st May 2007
Featuring: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Written by: Kieran O'Shea
Published: May 28th '07
With Clap Your Hands Say Yeah unfortunately having to cancel last year’s Australian shows due to fatigue and throat trouble, there was an expectation that they’d put on a show worth the wait. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.
The rather dull hum of the crowd suggested that supports New Estate did little to build anticipation. CYHSY appeared almost immediately after and from the first chord things went downhill. The sound was terrible, and the crowd responded to the band’s lacklustre energy by reciprocating the feeling. The opening songs sounded flat and weary, and although lead singer Alec Ounsworth explained that they had only arrived that morning, jet lag is a weak excuse.
As an indicator of the band’s reception, it was instructive just how many people were simply standing around and sharing conversations with their backs to the stage. At one point, a gentleman nearby lent towards the sound guy’s ear, and shouted something along the lines of ‘do your fucking job mate’. This sage advice paid off, as soon the sound was crisper and Ounsworth’s high pitched nasal whine was now distinguishable through the sludge of the guitars. Were things looking up?
No. Ounsworth informed the crowd that since this was their first time here, they were sticking to songs from their first album. The roar from the crowd didn’t help the diminishing likelihood that the show would fulfill any early promise. Energy was lacking, and verve was absent.
Was Melbourne expecting too much? CYHSY cancel last year’s show and this time choose to focus on mainly old songs, having recently released their second album. But really, would it have hurt them to play for an extra half hour with more newies? Would it have pained them to follow the guitarist/keyboardist Robbie Guertin’s lead and show a little energy and appreciation towards the crowd? Surely he was jetlagged too?
With such a long wait to see the band, they should have delivered much more in terms of content and attitude. Song selection was curious at best, epically misguided at worst. ‘Yankee Go Home’ stood out as a set highlight, with the title perfectly encapsulating the undernourished mood of the crowd by the end of this performance.
