Tune-Yards

I saw, heard, and felt tUnE-yArDs play at Webster Hall earlier this summer. There was an incredible amount of energy going through the venue before the eccentric mix of drumming and singing even began to fill its walls. The elaborate scenery on stage set the tone for a wacky adventure, with giant eyeballs and bright colors adorning the back wall. Merrill Garbus's background as a puppeteer shone just as brightly as roadies starting lugging out the band's equipment: a jungle gym of percussion instruments ranging from traditional toms and snares to a DIY-mix of water bottles and scraps of metal, as well as a keyboard stand that resembled some kind of strange tree-like Pokemon with eye-stalks. Before a single note is played, I already felt captivated by the performance-to-come. The crowd's whispers of anticipation suddenly erupted into excited hoots and hollers as the band finally made their appearance, adorned in florescent bright tones from head-to-toe. The effect was stunning under the black-light which lit the stage, and the group proved their dedication to visual splendor yet again! The most extravagant costume of all was that of Garbus herself: A teal dress with a kind of fish-scale texture with shimmering gold sleeves; around her neck lay a mantel of hot-pink feathers, resembling some kind of tutu for one's neck. It is clear to these performers that what the audience sees can be just as engaging and important as what they hear. The set proper began with the immediately-recognizable and heavy hitting chords of "Hey Life" off the newest album "Nikki Nack." The crowd's reaction was explosive, in only the way a group of twenty-somethings waiting for forty minutes to hear this inimitable group can be. Despite the fact our bodies were crammed tight in the venue like sardines, the high-energy tune put the urge to dance in my bones and dance I did, along with many other patrons at the show. The set moved on to "Gangsta," a song off the last album "whokill." Merrill began building the song from scratch, creating a vocal imitation of a police siren. The crowd almost immediately began to sing along with an admirable imitation of hers! With the aid of her trusty loop pedal, she constructed the catchy loop familiar to any real fan of tUnE-yArDs. The crowd was singing all of the parts as well, as if her loop pedal had been hooked up to us as a giant human amplifier. Merrill's ukulele, a staple sound which defined much of "whokill," found its way into the mix as well, a very pleasant surprise! Throughout the next two tunes, the band's newest members proved how invaluable they are as assets. In "Sink-o," Dani Markham KILLS her percussion parts, especially that jammy section at the end when she's nailing triplet subdivisions on point without batting an eyelash! In "Real Thing," vocalists Jo Lampert and Abigail Nesson-Bengson really stood out! My favorite moment of the song approaches the end in an epic breakdown, where Merrill and her lovely sirens trade off belting "real thing." The talent these ladies bring to the band really helped make this an unforgettable performance. The high-energy set then took a breath with slower songs like the delicate-to-fiery "Powa," (which included a very extended jam at the end) and "Time of Dark," a spacey tune in 6/4 which, while not a personal favorite, was performed wonderfully. These were followed up by a classic from "Bird-Brains" called "Real Live Flesh," which IS a personal favorite! I appreciate the group's flexibility, picking tunes from their whole discography and occasionally changing the ensemble's make-up to suit. It might be a good place to stop and mark that between some songs, there was plenty of wonderful banter. This included a reminder that a dollar from each of our tickets would be donated to the Haitian dance school out west from which they learned, in an effort to help the school actually visit Haiti! Onwards! After playing "Stop That Man," another track off the latest album, the group seemed to gang up in a little pow-wow. After a few moments, the group dispersed to their proper positions on stage. Merrill counted off, and tUnE-yArDs proceeded with what might have been their most impressive feat of the night: A vocal rendition of the opening to Bizness, a hurricane of pentatonic riffs flying back and forth between the singers that blew my mind! The rhythmic coordination to pull that off can only be the result of some amazing musicianship and long hours practicing as a group. "Water Fountain" was next, a tune which, in spite of its irony-tinged lyrical references to the bitter and dark realities of our society, may be the most genuinely fun song I've heard from the band yet! The song really highlights the syncretic nature of tUnE-yArDs; that is, the fusion of so many elements which might not otherwise come together: the Afro-Carribean feel of the syncopated percussion, the mash of nonsensical non-words combined with other vocables and even some other languages, the catchy and deceptively simple melodies Merrill creates, and how they interweave with each other later in the song... If you're going to listen to a song to call judgment on tUnE-, I'd personally recommend listen to this one. "Finally," Merrill announced the help from members of Roomful of Teeth, a vocal group based in NYC, to sing on the last song: "Find A New Way." When the extended ensemble began to play, it was honestly hard to hear what the new additions added... this was because everyone in the room was singing so loudly. Truly, this set went out with a bang and I couldn't imagine any other way to end such a great performance. ...apparently, however, Merrill could. After tons of applause, followed by the inevitable screams for more from an addicted audience, Merrill returned to the stage. With only her ukulele, she began playing Fiya, a song as soothing as a lullaby, from Bird-Brains. After over an hour of moving around to such big sounds, I only had the energy left to stand and watch and really listen to this woman and her uke make her sweet music. While it was incredibly different from the rest of the set, it seemed to make a lot of sense. The song built into a wailing climax, then a quick set of loops, then a sudden silence and the show was over. Merrill and the rest of the tUnE-yArDs gang have a very wonderful thing going on. Blending visual and aural elements, bringing in local artists, and overall just putting out a crazy amount of energy... This was up there on my list of greatest live performances I've been to. This review barely scathes the surface of the entire atmosphere, the energy and artistry of the performance... If you truly want to experience these things for yourself (and you do,) GO SEE TUNE-YARDS! ;D - Keith Lalley

Gosh, where to start? The concert was SO dope I just don't even know what to say!
I want to first say that it seems so surreal to have actually witnessed such finesse in person. Both tUnE-yArDs and James Tillman are uniquely talented and it was an honor to be able to make the concert.
I guess I'll begin at the beginning of the show; James Tillman was the PERFECT opening act for the tUnE-yArDs. His mellow vibes with their upbeat flavor really worked in a sort of symbiotic nature. He is truly a gifted musician and I hope he makes it to a much more widespread audience because he definitely has a lot of talent to share with the world. Now for the big dogs: tUnE-yArDs was undeniably awesome! They played some of their old stuff and some new stuff and the energy was live the ENTIRE time. There wasn't a moment I didn't feel engaged. Meryl is SO personable that you feel like she's speaking to directly to you. My favorite part was when she thanked us for being there--it was a genuine appreciation. Hell, the audience was appreciated so much tUnE-yArDs came back and performed an encore. THAT is love and respect for your fans.
Also, can I add how perfect the venue was? It was at Playhouse Variety in Little Five. There was romantic seating at round tables, there were traditional theater seats, and there was space at the front of the stage for people to stand if they wanted. Plus the staff was super friendly and helpful. I definitely want to go to more concerts at this venue. So, the question isn't whether or not I'm going to see James Tillman or tUnE-yArDs perform again; it's when?!

Rarely do I feel compelled by a performance to write my feelings down but on this occasion I'd thought I'd break my staunch British reserve. It's well worth it. I bought tickets for tUnE-yArDs with an open mind, I'd heard they were great live and was intrigued. I've listened to their latest album and was pleased but not overjoyed by what I heard. It wasn't until I was at their gig at Brixton Electric last night (3rd September) that finally, their music made perfect sense to me.
Merrill Garbus is an astounding talent. Her soul-filled voice is used to great effect whilst belting out sometimes bizarre but often thought provoking lyrics. Its worth mentioning her skills in recording vocal and instrumental loops on stage too. She makes a ukelele sound cool and does all this whilst drumming like its second nature. But tUnE-yArds isn't a band of one person alone. I got a brilliant view of Dani Markham- the second drummer, who works like an extension of Garbus showcasing their impeccable synchronisation. The person I couldn't take my eyes off, however, was the magnetic Jo Lampert- the most dedicated backing singer and dancer I've encountered. Her body visibly vibrates with the music. As a live act, I can't fault their performance. They were so different from any band I've seen before. Their was no ego and the performance was never dull. Whilst being a big fan of recorded music, it isn't often that I've found that recording removes so much character from a band. Their live performance eclipses anything I could have expected beforehand. tUnE-yArDs, I'll be back.

What a great show. I never thought I'd be able to see Cibo Matto in my lifetime. I really thought those days had passed, that if they did tour I might not even be interested because they'd lost their magic (what was I thinking!?). CM as an opening act is like a match made in heaven. They played a few favorites and some from the new album.
Once Meryl was ready to take the stage, a boisterous commotion rose up from the back of the crowd. Drums, shouting, joy lifted up as a parade of african dancers made their way through the crowd, raising the spirits throughout. Tune-Yards puts on a show you remember and tell stories about for decades. There is so much performance, so many bits and pieces, so much fullness to the show. Drumlines, vibrant dancers, wonderful costumes, and the songs we dug in and loved from first sound.
TuneYards is a MUST SEE show. Find tickets in your town and GET. TO. THAT. SHOW!

Watching tune-yards was an amazing experience that I highly suggest.
They might just have five people on stage (in one occasion just two or three) but the energy that they bring out feels like so much more. There is an incredible use of both percussional instruments along with the use of a looping machine. It's actually that machine that brings that personal feeling to the show. You're able to see Merrill record everything on the spot.
It was really fun seeing the other vocalists get so into dancing along. You also enjoy the passion the drummer brings out into the beats they are playing. Then then there is bassist with an air of cool nonchalance and energy.
If you are a fan of tune-yards just do yourself a favor and attend their shows. They sound just as good, if not better, than their cds plus you get to have a really fun experience.

Unfortunately I couldn't tell you how the concert was due to the fact that it was over by the time we got there.

Who goes on at 6:00 on a Friday night in Orlando when there is a City Soccer game? There was probably 20-30 people outside the Beacham that just couldn't believe that the entire show was over by 9:30.

I'm sure it was great for the early birds, but next time go on at a normal time.

I love Merrill's voice -it's so passionate, powerful and unique. I had no idea how spiritual and earth she was - very refreshing in this day and age. It was unlike any concert I've ever been to, and I enjoyed it. I love that she played "Water Fountain" but was aching to hear "ABC 123" live, and was quite bummed I didn't. Still I felt it was definitely worth it!

Incredible gig, would recommend anyone go to see her. Her voice is amazing live, and her backing vocalists are fantastic. They all have a huge stage presence and all of the energy in their songs shone through. Can't wait to go and see her again!

Absolutely amazing show. The performance and the sound were great. Wish they played a little longer than 80-90 minutes, but that seems like a standard concert length, these days. And, that's my review of the Tune Yards at the Moore Theater.

The show was absolutely amazing. They poured their hearts, souls, blood and guts into that performance. Great music, great venue, great fans, great vibe. I love the entire Tune-Yards gang and Cibo Matto blew me away. Yes yes yes!!!