Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Metro Theatre - 22/01/2013

A Tuesday night at the Metro Theatre is better than a Friday night in most other places, especially when a band like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had sold out the venue. It was a hot summer evening and I could only imagine things were about to get hotter.

Before they did though, they just got plane creepy. Kirin J. Callinan was supporting that night, and from what I have read, he has a wide range of musical productions, contributions and supporting tours. After 30 seconds of hearing his music, I couldn’t figure out how. There are a lot of things to say about Callinan’s set and “music”, but my honest review of that would push the bounds of defamation, so I will just move forward to the reason we were all there.

Brian Chase and Nick Zinner walked out onto the stage as a backing track to the intro of Rich played over them. They each walked in an aura of cool as they fiddled with the sound until they were ready to start. As Chase started drumming, the crowd erupted with cheers, and Karen O stormed onto the stage.

The 2nd track of the evening was the self-titled track from upcoming release, Mosquito. The artwork may be shit, but if this track is anything to go by, the album is going to be amazing.

Start to finish, the stage was filled with a raw energy that made the Metro feel like an intimate club in the back streets of New York. Chase drummed through the entire night, staring out at the crowd like he was still surprised that people were coming to see his band.

Karen O thrashed around the stage while Zinner got lost in the music, each of the three members operating in their own world that somehow perfectly fits together as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Banging out songs like Gold Lion and Phenomena, the reputation of the New York trio was, if anything, understated.

The night really took a turn when the band began playing Zero. Every person was jumping and singing along, and you could feel the theatrical nature of Karen O leave the room, as she couldn’t hold back her smiles, joining Chase in a surprised elation. It is always great to watch a band that after 10 years still gets so excited to be on stage.

Closing the night off with Heads Will Roll, an obvious but perfect closer, the band shyly left the stage while the crowd continued to scream and dance to no music. We wanted more, and more is what we got.

Giving us an encore of Turn Into and Date with the Night, this gig is one to remember. If you haven’t seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you need to change that as soon as you can. With tonight being the only Big Day Out sideshow, and a new album to come soon, hopes are high for a headline tour in the near future.