Leicester's nearly famous Yeah Yeah Noh, who had the dignity to break up at the moment when they were gonna become too big.No group should be bigger than the music, and thankfully they knew this.
Sounding sorta like Mark Riley era Fall, with that awkward balding lad who didn't have any friends from the house down your street on lead vocals. This image made a connection with similarly socially shunned types all across the land. Championed by John Peel, they began to shift considerable units on Mark Riley's In Tape Records.
One of the few 'Clever' groups I can stand to listen to, they can even be amusing!
And what's even more amusing is the fact that Yeah Yeah Noh have reformed, to play a few festivals etc.
"This reforming lark is actually getting quite exciting now.
All manner of the weird and wonderful are reemerging and picking up the loose ends.
Yeah
Yeah Noh emerged in the middle of the Death To Trad Rock scene in the
eighties – all discordant clatter but with classic British beat tunes
and sardonic, clever lyrics. They became Peel faves and went on to
record some great eighties psychedelic tinged songs before imploding
before the decade ended.
They were remembered, though, by the connoisseurs like Stewart Lee “Yeah Yeah Noh were my favourite mix of sneery post-punk and swooshy psychedelia. And now they’re back.”
The band are planing a few gigs and festival appearances which will be announced on their Facebook page:
Derek Hammond, the band’s ever sprightly and lyrical frontman tells me that ‘This
is first point of contact, fest info, old sounds, old pics… will of
course soon cover new sounds, pics, dates etc as time goes on – bear in
mind hardly anyone knows we’re back together yet!‘
In the years since Yeah Yeah Noh were last together Derek has built up quite a name as a writer with a critically acclaimed football book which has been described as ‘football porn’, ‘like heroin: moreish’, ‘best football book since Fever Pitch’ – and he also does his own blog
A1Beware The Weakling Lines 2:15
A21901 2:27
B1Startling Pillowcase, And Why 4:04
Cottage Industry Ep (IT008)
A Cottage Industry 3:41
B1Bias Binding 1:56
B2 Tommy Opposite 2:45
2 comments:
"the early stuff was noisy, genuine DIY but it’s pretty much unlistenable now."
Noh sir, noh sir, a thousand times noh!
"the early stuff" is seared into my heart and imprinted in my memory, the fact that several decades later, I can sing along to every word to Bias Binding and Cottage Industry yet I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning should suggest that "the early stuff" is eminently listenable, far more than the later stuff (I remember it been passed around as it was Yeah Yeah Noh after all, but apart from the revised earlier tracks it is a complete sonic blank.)
I can't believe they have reformed, it was enough to hear Neu! and Suicide on the nostalgia trip but Yeah Yeah Noh? If The Mob start playing again, I'm leaving this planet.
"Don't swallow spit of another person unless you know them pretty well" - apart from one or two unfortunate exceptions, it's a line I have lived by and it has served me well.
Thanks for the memories
Wot a rad blog! Hats off, Jonny, for the brilliant Die or D.I.Y.?
As for YYN, what an utterly fantastic group. "Temple of Convenience", "The Superimposed Man"… oh boy, such amazing (un)pop gems! Bless them.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
Eduard
Post a Comment