Live Review: Yuck @ The Satellite, Los Angeles, 4/14/2011

When it comes to a good time on vacation, I'm sure plenty of people would opt for a week wrapped in a plush robe being pampered with all sorts of spa treatments and relaxing their cares away. Yeah, not really my thing. Mind you, I did spend a whole lot of quality time bonding with the pool at my hotel, but damned if going to see a show the same day as my cross-country flight to LA didn't seem like the perfect way to kick off a week of vacation awesomeness. And what better band to see than the muy caliente buzzery of Yuck?

The Satellite, formerly known as Spaceland, is a pretty sweet little place to watch a show, my little rays of sunshine. Low ceilings, dim lights, and a photo booth all add to the atmosphere in the most appealing way. My friend Laura and I were wrapping up a game of pool with two dashing gentlemen when Yuck picked up their instruments, and an air of expectancy crackled throughout the venue. It was almost as if everyone present was holding their breath at the same time, the exhale coming as soon as the Londoners started to play.

Wrapped in an abundance of acid-washed denim, the band proceeded to envelop me in the warm glow of nostalgia. It was as though I was taken back to the early 90s, even sartorially-speaking. "Holing Out" opened the set, the grit and filth of the fuzz immediately calling to mind bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth and Nirvana. I got a kick out of the attitude the band adopted onstage, disaffected indifference you might expect either out of early Blur or any number of flannel-clad Seattleites. The sound in The Satellite was mighty fine, and the grimey guitar came through loudly and sludgily. For some reason it's funny to imagine how it's possible for a band of young London residents to do this sound so well that they might very well be a missing piece of the Seattle scene from the 90s.

Travel tiredness got the best of me before the end of their set, but what I did see was rather enjoyable. While certainly not reinventing the wheel, Yuck proves a rather enjoyable diversion, especially if you missed the boat the first go round.

mp3: Georgia (Yuck from Yuck)