The legend of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their magnetic frontwoman, Karen O, has been sustained over the last decade, despite the band’s hiatus from both touring and making new music. Known for bringing an explosive injection of riotous hedonism to the garage-rock revival in the noughties, it was unclear whether they could convey the same magic on their return to the stage. But be in no doubt, this band proved their credentials as some of the most electrifying performers of the present moment, as well as the past.
The element of nostalgia was felt keenly by O as she addressed the crowd at the sold-out Brixton Academy, where she last played with her band almost exactly 20 years ago. “Was anybody there?” she asked. “You were there. You were there. Yes!” she shrieked, overjoyed to be reunited with her long-parted fandom.
Breathtakingly charismatic, O leaped, head-banged and lunged through her band’s greatest hits. For Heads Will Roll, disco backbeats and expansive synths provided the driving force as O whirled around the stage, activating confetti cannons with a gleeful kick. Occasionally, she would swig from a beer and spray it, geyser-like, over the audience. She sung with her trademark shrieks and whoops during the chorus of Gold Lion, backed by a soaring guitar riff from Nick Zinner and intricate drumming from Brian Chase. It wasn’t always dialled up to the max, however, and there was a collective misty-eyed sigh from the audience as the band played Maps, a power ballad about love and coming to terms with its potential loss.
But there was another the reason the band have returned to the stage after all these years, aside from sensing an opportune moment of indie revival. They were also there to debut songs from their fifth album, Cool It Down, which releases later this year. Alongside two unreleased songs, they played Spitting Off the Edge of the World, a ballad where O seems fragile yet defiant in the face of the climate emergency. Clearly this is a band that is not afraid to face the modern moment head-on.
The show’s close had the potential to trigger further separation anxiety for fans, but thankfully, the band returned for a stomping encore to play Date With the Night, during which O plunged her microphone into her pants before smashing it repeatedly against the stage floor. It is comforting to know that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back to their old tricks – this time, hopefully, for good.
