Yura Yura Teikoku Played Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Pictures, Review

We had heard whisperings that Yura Yura Teikoku's set opening for Yo La Tengo in Boston was fantastic. In fact, one HAD staffer even went to so far as to say that the band had outshone YLT, and not by a little bit. Suffice it to say, it was enough to peak our interest and get us to head over to the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night, and we certainly didn't leave disappointed.

Much like Yo La Tengo, YYT manages to jump around a plethora of styles while seeming completely at home in each one. The tracks varied from noise rock, to chilled out Floydesque jams, to a poppy radio friendly tune that could have easily qualified as current-day Kings Of Leon. Absorbing the breadth of the bands catalog was challenging, but also completely entertaining.

The band themselves are a tightly knit trio consisting of bass, drums, and guitar. While the bass and drums are so locked in they could almost be a single instrument, guitarist Shintaro Sakimoto frequently tore away from the mix on his own. Sakimoto's playing was by far the most magnetic piece of the evening, as he created wave upon wave of noise and ended up sounding far more like two or three instruments than one.

At the end of the show, we have to admit, we walked away a bit boggled: On the one hand, YYT are unquestionably savvy, both technically and as songwriters. But their set fluctuates genres so quickly, that it's tough to get a handle on the feel and flow. That being said, we went into the show unfamiliar with any of the band's material, so the fault may lay there. Regardless, the performance and virtuosity we saw left one thing for certain: we'll be giving the band another listen in the very near future.

Many more photos at the HAD Archive.