Talking is something that Leeds post punk band Yard Act have a knack for.
The four piece's defining spoken word verses, delivered with lacerating intensity by frontman James Smith, tackle topics of a disaffected post-Brexit Britain by making use of character studies, meta references and observations delivered as caustic ramblings.
Therefore I had high hopes when I caught up with bassist Ryan Needham on the back of the band's triumphant homecoming show at a sold out Belgrave Music Hall in February as part of Independent Venue Week.
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There's more to the group than just their speak/sing - or 'sprechgesang' - aspect of course. Needham's thumping basslines and guitarist Sam Shipstone's disjointed riffs make for an almighty racket while Jay Russell drumming glues the funk-infused tracks together.
The sound has garnered a great many admirers and has led to an astronomical rise. Having formed in late 2019 the band played just a handful of shows before the pandemic hit. But good fortune reared its head as the millions of people working from home became exposed to their debut single 'Fixer Upper' during regular airplay on BBC 6 Music.
Subsequent tracks had similar levels of backing which built a growing fanbase in anticipation of their debut album The Overload, which entered at number two in the charts to a flurry of a positive reviews in an unexpected chart battle with pop sensation Years and Years.
One of their most enthusiastic flag wavers has been 6 Music DJ Steve Lamacq, who introduced their show at the Belgrave by stating they had "made a snapshot of this country and as we are in this moment in time in to a record that will be the best album of 2022".
After their triumphant set the group celebrated with Lamacq with a dance and discussion about his close encounters with music royalty like Kurt Cobain and Elastica.
The close relationship came through Emily Pilbeam at BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire, Ryan explained, who clocked on to their early tracks and flagged them up to the national broadcaster.
Ryan said: "I think the good thing about it is they (6 Music) do support it but there's no saying what's going to get on playlists and things. They don't just decide 'right we're going to back this band and whatever you put out'. If you put out some shite it's not getting on the radio. The fact we've been able to keep them on board is a great thing really."
There was reason to celebrate in Leeds as well after the group ran Olly Alexander of Years and Years close for the number one album spot, with numerous tongue in cheek social media posts not doing enough to take the crown.
Ryan said: "Four people like us have never had aspirations like that and for a band like ours in the current day when there's big pop acts to get a number two is insane. Although we took it seriously, it was exciting and really funny."
The four members met after moving from various towns to Leeds and playing in semi-successful bands on the city's circuit, with Ryan a member of Menace Beach and James in Post War Glamour Girls. The enviable Leeds music scene proved essential, with promoters and venues like the Belgrave, Brudenell Social Club and Headrow House offering plenty of opportunity for them to flourish.
Ryan said: "These are just places where aside from having a place to go and play they're places where we all hang out and that's why we've all ended up in each others' worlds really. They're the hubs of the communities and that's where you build these relationships. It's super important."
There's also a lot to be said for the student population in Leeds, Ryan said, as he reminisced on when he moved in the mid-2000s during the huge indie rock revival.
"All those houses in Hyde Park and Headingley had basements and in 2005 when guitar music was the pop music every single one of them had a drum kit in and a PA in the basement and that was really good as well. I guess that's not so much of a thing anymore. They've probably got turntables instead of drum sets.
"The student population is key to that as well as the old timers like us that just keep going - the cockroaches of the music scene."
The survivalists have a living for themselves through their big city sound that conjures comparisons to the likes of Gang Of Four, Talking Heads and The Fall and "ties together observations from all walks of modern British life". While the stories and lyrics all come from James, it is something that each member can relate to.
Ryan, who originates from Derbyshire, said: "The weird thing is we all come from the same small satellite towns. Small Poppies (the group's excellent track that tells the story of a villager that chooses staying put over big city aspirations) is the kind of world we describe.
"We all had the same kind of experiences of small suburbia - green but not wealthy ex mining and ex industrial settlements. It's a very particular type of environment."
Despite the rapidly growing popularity, Ryan said that they have not felt any seismic shift in their lifestyles, with boozy nights in Leeds with mates still on the cards.
He said: "There's these two weird worlds where you see the Instagram followers have gone up by 5,000 in two days so it has an impact in certain worlds but our day to day is still as normal as it has been. I don't know what I'm expecting to change. It's not like it'll be 'Here are the keys to your 3 bedroom house in Chapel Allerton'."
With their growing significance the spotlight has fallen more on Yard Act and their place in the music sphere and while most have showered them in praise they've not been without their critics. One article in The Quietus in particular laid the boot in when the writer argued that they had latched onto the rise of other post punks acts like Fontaines D.C., Dry Cleaning and IDLES with a less-than convincing iteration, ending his scathing review by saying there wasn't a problem with the spoken word/post punk format but "bands who are talking loud but have little of use to say".
Ryan said that he and the band had welcomed the criticism though as they were "due a couple", adding: "Criticism is super important. Some of the US reviews are a bit more critical but you can put that down to the references not translating as well but The Quietus one was dead good.
"It's nice when you read stuff and you're like 'I know you understand it and you just don't like it' rather than someone going 'meh' and you think 'you're not really getting it'.
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"Some people say James is attacking groups and bigots when it's not an attacking thing, it's a discussion. When people get it wrong in that way it's still valid criticism but I don't think you're listening properly."
One quote from James flagged was that the group had "Trojan Horsed" the post-punk revival and "were gonna subvert it and move away from it as soon as we can".
The group's show at the Belgrave showcased a far rawer sound than that developed over the last two years on their laptops (the song Rich in particular sounded startlingly more emboldened in the live setting) so should fans be excited for what's to come?
Ryan said: "It's definitely not going to be the obvious thing where you can tell a bands got a load of keyboards for Christmas.
"I think we will explore the rhythm a bit more - it's all about anchoring James's lyrics and delivery so it's good to get a couple of ideas down and then he normally gets the theme and runs with it. As soon as he got the idea with the first one it just went from there."
Yard Act tour the UK in April and May and will be playing in Leeds and Sheffield. For more information or to find tickets click here.
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