Yeti at The Old Blue Last

Yeti at The Old Blue Last

21 July, 2008
by: Evolmike

For decades our vigilant capital has been searching for the Holy Grail that is the 'Cockney Beatles', and Yeti are one of the many contenders. I don't want you to think of them as just another sixties throwback band – they're not just glory-supporting. They do genuinely sound like the Beatles, but not necessarily in a retro way. See, rather than simply copying the sonic landscapes of the past, they actually concentrate on the fabs' most unique stylistic elements – the artful and considerate use of three-way vocal harmonies and the equal distribution of riff chemistry, in which no one is every trying to play over anyone else.

Naturally, your man John Hassall is an open advocate of his 'Beatalian' influence, and down at the hardcore camp all eyes are on him, yet at no point is this band musically focused on any one person. Although Mark Underwood takes the lion's share of the lead vocals, for the most part it is shared, and every song is marked by the kind of rich, bright chorus of voices that has been largely absent from guitar music since the '60s (despite every other idiom of the era having been swept up from the cutting room floor long ago and hastily blu-tacked over a broken window).

It's very difficult to take the Beatles-esque approach without toppling into the McFly-esque – to be happy without being an insufferable tit about it. Let me assure you, Yeti have got it right. The recurring theme of their overall narrative is one of hope and joyful innocence, yet occasionally they employ a sly cynicism to their lyrics, a hint of satire from which joy is born (as present in opening number 'Working for the Industry' and new single 'Don't Go Back to the One You Love') Also they do tend to dip in and out of their usual mid-pace poppery to have a stab at other genres, be it the cool, minimalist jazz fusion of 'Midnight Flight' or the show's closing number, straight out of left field, 'Insect Eating Man' a wonderfully surreal piece of easy listening rhetoric that appears to be about exactly what it says on the tin. Noel Coward would be proud.

The most curious thing about Yeti is that they're one of the few bands who actually sound better on record. They're great live; don't get me wrong, they're very tight and very carefully distributed. But without the crowd noise and the echo of the venue, they're very much in their element. The new single in particular is a brilliant recording, with sleek, crunchy guitar solos and harmonies that sound spookily like something right out of Revolver and I'm not even joking. It has that sort of 'soundtrack to anything' quality about it. It certainly cheers me up when I'm on the tube, and what more do you want from a London band? So yeah... the album's out on the 23rd. Let's get these guys on the radio.

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Evolmike