[ATTENDED: August 15, 2026] Yard Act
I saw Yard Act at Underground Arts back in 2023. Guitarist Sam Shipstone was quite the wild man while Ryan Needham’s bass had a great sound and was often the only thing holding the melody down while Shipstone went nuts. He also provided backing vocals.
And the best part of the show was that singer James Smith doesn’t casually recite his lyrics. He is a non-stop machine of gestures and quips, singing and screaming lyrics. Whispering and delaying satisfaction. He has the entire audience in his hands and he is not afraid to make then do what he wants. It was amazing to watch.
The tour is rounded out with drummer Jay Russell and touring keyboard/sax player Christopher Duffin.
My wife loved the show–after the craziness of The Armed, I feared that Yard Act would seem tame, but they really showed up. But she loved the loudness and the intensity. Indeed listening to some of the songs later she said they were much more fun live (Fiction in particular). And she absolutely loved Payday (and who wouldn’t)–take the money, take the money, take the money and run).
They opened with New Beginnings, a song we’d heard a number of times on WXPN (and have heard a lot more since then). It is pretty different from their other songs, but didn’t change the tone of the show at all.
It’s interesting how they play a very different setlist every night. They didn’t play Payday the following night, although the did play We Make Hits, which I was sure they would play for us, but they didn’t.
When I saw them at Union Transfer last year, they had two backing singer/dancers with them and they made the show a lot of fun. They added a lot to the visuals, for sure (including a lot of fun percussion and dancing). I was a little bummed that they had scaled back for this show, but they know how to put on a show regardless of the number of people on stage.
When I first saw them, they ended with the seven minute “The Trench Coat Museum.” Last time, during the long guitar solo in the middle, James sat on the drum riser with his head in his hands as if he were miserable. It was funny to see, especially when it was his turn to sing again and he jumped up happily, grabbed a little sampling device and started having a ball throwing out all of the samples from the song and manipulating them on the fly. There was no sitting for this version, but the sampling device was right there and he played with it making all kinds of fun sounds. It was terrific.
Sometimes, live, it’s not clear what the lyrics are, even when he’s speaking them. But sometimes there a lot going on so you may miss these lyrics from Dead Horse
I wasn’t the one lied to and I’m not scared of peopleWho don’t look like me, unlike you
…
And we’re supposed to let it slideBecause the press have normalizedThe idea that racism is something we should humor
An Illusion is a quieter song which slowed things down before the big stomping fun of Redeemer. It’s a nasty sounding song with a great chorus: Redeemer, you had your fun, now you’re clutching to your rosary like a nun. I didn’t realize the next song was called Cherophobe Rock, which I assume is a sly dig at Smashing Pumpkins’ Cherub Rock. Although I don’t know the conntection the song is catchy and bouncy as anything.
“Dark Days” is primarily a bass line and drums with Shipstone making all kinds of noise on his guitar until it builds to a “chorus” changing “Dark Days” (and live the chorus is HUGE, as is the
So much so, that when he introduced “100% Endurance,” he observed how fast the show as going. “100%” starts out quietly and then build to a big ending.
They raged into the final two songs–the stupidly catchy chorus of The Overload and the moody “Land of the Blind.” As they paused before the final song, people shouted out the songs they wanted to hear. James said that they might considered playing those songs if we would graciously allow them to play the songs they wanted to play first.
The final song was the seven minute “The Trench Coat Museum.” There is a long guitar solo in the middle, during which James sat on the drum riser with his head in his hands as if he were miserable. It was funny to see, especially when it was his turn to sing again and he jumped up happily, grabbed a little sampling device and started having a ball throwing out all of the samples from the song and manipulating them on the fly. I only wish they were a little clearer.
When they came out for the encore, he asked what do you want to hear and immediately someone shouted “Peanuts.” He recited the spoken word part first in a “Tom Waits” voice and then like a vampire–there was very much laughter during this section. Someone shouted out another song title, but they decided to play “Fixer Upper” and everyone was okay with that.
It was a really fun set. Everyone was into it, the band gave it their all, and we were back on the road by 10:30. And we’d both happily see them again.
| 2026 Underground Arts | 2024 Union Transfer | 2023 Underground Arts |
| New Beginnings ‰ | Dead Horse ♠ | Dead Horse ♠ |
| Dream Job ⊗ | Payday ♠ | Dark Days Δ |
| Fiction ‰ | Fizzy Fish ⊗ | Petroleum ⊗ |
| Payday ♠ | Land of the Blind ♠ | Payday ♠ |
| When the Laughter Stops ⊗ | Petroleum ⊗ | Dream Job ⊗ |
| The Trench Coat Museum ø | Down By the Stream ⊗ | Pour Another ♠ |
| Dead Horse ♠ | Dream Job ⊗ | 100% Endurance ♠ |
| An Illusion ⊗ | We Make Hits ⊗ | Witness (Can I Get A?) ♠ |
| Redeemer ‰ | Dark Days Δ | The Overload ♠ |
| Cherophobe Rock ‰ | A Vineyard for the North ⊗ | Land of the Blind ♠ |
| Dark Days Δ | When the Laughter Stops ⊗ | The Trench Coat Museum ø |
| A Vineyard for the North ⊗ | The Overload ♠ | encore |
| Talky Talky People ‰ | 100% Endurance ♠ | Peanuts Δ |
| You’re Gonna Need a Little Music ‰ | The Trench Coat Museum ø | Fixer Upper Δ |
| 100% Endurance ♠ | encore | |
| The Overload ♠ | Witness (Can I Get A?) ♠ | |
| encore | ||
| Peanuts Δ [tour debut] | ||
| Fixer Upper Δ |
‰ You’re Gonna Need a Little Music (2026)
⊗ Where’s My Utopia (2024)
ø single (2023)
♠ The Overload (2022)
Δ Dark Days EP (2021)
Here’s what they played at Free at Noon (bold songs they didn’t play at night)
- Tall Tales ‰
- Talky Talky People ‰
- Dead Horse ♠
- Petroleum ⊗
- New Beginnings ‰
- Fixer Upper Δ
- Pour Another ♠
- You’re Gonna Need a Little Music ‰
