As YACHT's Claire Evans came gliding out onto the Mississippi Studio stage Thursday night, her face beamed with awe and wonderment. “Hello, my children,” she slowly drawled, acknowledging her hometown fans with pure joy. It was an appropriate greeting from the now-LA based group, who proceeded to spend much of the night trying to ensure the Portland faithful wouldn't forget them now that they're gone. Thanks to the spectacular show they put on, it seems unlikely they will.
Katy Davidson, an occasional YACHT collaborator and friend of the group, started the night with an interesting performance from her own musical project, Key Losers. It was an unique set, to say the least, but certain factors failed to make it one to love. Davidson played a mean guitar, throwing in various styles and rhythms, but it was her often contrasting vocals that caused certain songs to fall apart. It was as if she wanted to prove she could give us every octave in the book. It was an impressive display, but her choices around to employ that range were generally questionable. In almost every song, the octaves were jumping around multiple times - not the best decision.
Her sidekick on the sound machine added to the disarray by injecting droning beats into places where they shouldn't have been. All night long, and with not an an ounce of excitement as he did so. He made it seem he could care less about anything he was contributing to the set, and it definitely distracted from Davidson's music. His interference made me what Davidson could do as a solo act – I'm sure she could definitely sharpen her sound into something more likable. If she did, it would likely gain her some fierce notice throughout the music world.
But for now, it seems Onuinu, who followed Key Losers, are the ones heading toward immediate nationwide recognition. Combining a fantastic, thumpin' electro beat with a minimal drum machine, some excellent guitar and a set of vocals that seemed designed for this kind of music, Onuinu were exceptional. The sometimes-digital, sometimes-psychedelic imagery that flashed on the screen behind them was almost as effective as the band's astral sounds were when it came to tripping the crowd out.
A few times the music broke into a kind of New Wave disco that was completely acceptable. Disco mighta sucked, or so said the punk rock rioters of the late '70s, but not in the way it was recreated by Onuinu. Together, the trio of sounds that come from the three players couldn't have worked any better together. Especially when the more Caribbean beats were offset by the thump of the drums and a subtle, yet fierce, guitar solo. And it sounded like their lead singer announced that this was only their fourth show, which is simply unbelievable. These guys play as if they've been doing this sound for years, and on this night, gave us a rightly polished set that was awe-inspiring. It was so good that even the lead couldn't stop from dancing. It was as if he were at somebody else's show.
Which in truth he was, considering his group was opening for such a locally-founded giant as YACHT. And there's a good chance he started dancing once again, as soon as he heard the headliners start their set. From beginning to end, YACHT provided their crowd with such pulsatingly good beats that it erased every dancing insecurity one might've had beforehand. Middle-aged men erupted into dance, as women in their sixties and hipsters in their twenties happily grooved along beside them. It was as if the floodgates opened, and dancing had taken over the planet. Maybe it wasn't Earth we were on, however, because as Evans put it, we had all become citizens of the temporary autonomous zone. Whatever that means.
YACHT tore through the night with incredible abandon, sounding at their A'est of game in every one of their songs. A documentary was being filmed as the show went on, but it didn't seem to be the reason the band's ante was as upped as it was. Truly, it felt like they wanted to apologize for leaving their loyal fans when they relocated to LA last year, and give them the best they could give them, in the meantime.
This meant a pounding Talking Heads-like rhythm for "I Walked Alone" and the most glittery of pop beats for “One Step;” and when Evans demanded “and you're mine, and you're mine" in the latter, you felt that it was so. “Psychic City” was sweetly defiant, while “Tripped and Fell In Love” felt like a rockin' zombie march. “Love In The Dark” may have been their best, however, as it deliciously felt to be the one and only love song a vampire could ever need.
YACHT is absolutely a performance piece in their shows, and this was best shown at the wrap-up of “The Afterlife,” when Evans asked “Do you guys believe in life after death?” and began wrapping her mic chord around her neck. No self-strangle took place, thankfully, and she and band founder Jona Bechtolt changed the mood by announcing it was question time. The best the crowd had for her was “What's the perfect bacon?”, to which Evans replied, “Trick question, because we're vegetarians!”
It was the band's encore that really sealed the deal that they were Portlanders no more, however. Singing 'Shangri-LA,' with the lyrics “If I can't go to heaven, let me go to LA,” gave a loving goodbye to the Oregon they seem like they still hold close. It may sting that YACHT's left us for Cali, but it feels safe to assume we all wish them the best of luck, wherever they are.
