REVIEW: WYE OAK AT LONDON XOYO (22/11/11)
After casually breezing onto stage, Wye Oak do their own sound check, gush endlessly about their support act and genuinely seem to be having a good time up there. It’s totally not what I had expected. Their music is moody folk, often dream-like and sometimes even slightly gothic with heavy guitar moments and deliciously rich vocals. For a band with such serious sounds I had expected a more serious persona, but that’s just not the case with Wye Oak. The enigmatic duo are very much effortless on stage but in a humble sort of way. It’s nice, performing is something that clearly comes naturally to them both. It’s refreshing to see a band like this enjoying their own music without a shred of pretension. Wye Oak for me, is everything a live band should be.
Frontwoman Jenn Wasner is what I want to be when I grow up. She’s totally cool and utterly captivating. With platinum Barbie doll locks she unapologetically apologises for her whisky drinking and later in the set proceeds to down half a glass of it in one. Belting out tune after tune seamlessly in that distinctively melting voice of hers, she unabashedly grins though many a song switching the mood perfectly to one of quiet melody when the need arises. About half-way through they play the first single from the album, Civilian, which I’m sure is what they’ll mostly be remembered for. It’s a beautiful, strong song starting with lilting guitar and ending with impressive vocals. With an organ/ keyboard accompaniment, it induces quite an emotional reaction- well for me anyway. Even prior to the gig I had been wondering how they would pull off ‘that organ bit’ with just the two of them and I suspected they’d cut it out altogether. My answer comes in the form of Andy Stack. With one hand playing the drums, he plays a keyboard with the other. Has he been doing that all along? Apparently so. Not being able to play even one instrument myself, I find myself suitably impressed by this. Other bands suddenly start to look a bit lazy in comparison. With drums, keyboard, tambourine, sampler and a host of digital doo-dads, Andy is only a banjo short of a one-man band -in a very, very good way.
The encore includes a haunting and fragile rendition of a song Jen wrote when she was 18, ‘I hope you die’ manages to dissuade me of this notion. Touching and honest, Jen tells us that this is a song that they rarely play. They finish their set with a cover of Golden Smog’s, Strangers. It’s bluesy with more than a hint of Americana and a touch of Mazzy Star- it’s a bit different to their usual stuff. When I first heard of Wye Oak I associated them more with a folky 1970’s vibe. This seems like a new direction but it works and it feels totally right for them to cover something that was first sung by the mighty Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. Live, Wye Oak make what would at first seem to be quite dark and melancholy songs perfectly uplifting and after the gig I feel positively elated. But be warned, catchy pop melodies these are not, still if you’re looking for that kind of thing then don’t go and see Wye Oak! However, if you wish to be enveloped in atmospheric haunting sounds and witness a performance charged with personality, Wye Oak are definitely not one to miss!
Words and photo: Emma Cooper
