The Artist: Yard Act
Yard Act formed in Leeds in 2019, just before everything went sideways. Frontman James Smith had cut his teeth in the city’s DIY punk scene, while bassist Ryan Needham was already known for his work with Menace Beach. Together with guitarist Sam Shjipstone and drummer Jay Russell, they built something fast, furious and unmistakably British.
They don’t really sound like a band. More like a bloke in a pub who won’t stop talking - but the things he’s saying are eloquent, funny, poetic.
And while comparisons to The Fall, Sleaford Mods or early Blur come easy, Yard Act are doing something more precise. Less punk rant, more satirical sermon. Stories told through clenched teeth with raised eyebrows.
Their 2022 debut The Overload landed to rave reviews and a Mercury Prize nomination.
It felt like the start of something messy and meaningful.
The Record: The Overload (2022)
This isn’t background music.
It’s front and centre, confronting you with a bassline and a monologue.
The title track opens the album like a drunken sprint - tight rhythms, frantic guitars and Smith’s voice slipping between snark and sincerity. It’s a warning and a wink.
Dead Horse spins into funkier territory, with absurdist humour covering a bleak political core. Rich plays like class satire as sitcom. Tall Poppies flips the script- over six minutes of unexpectedly moving storytelling about small-town lives and everything they almost became.
Throughout, Yard Act combine tight post-punk arrangements with spoken-word delivery and sardonic observation. But beneath the sarcasm, there’s heart. A desire for decency. A strange kind of hope.
It’s not always clear if the jokes are for you or about you. That’s part of the fun.
Because The Overload isn’t trying to comfort you.
It’s trying to provoke you.
Play Now:
🔊 Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
Start With:
- The Overload - Biting, breathless, brilliant
- Tall Poppies - A novel in 6 minutes
- Rich - Satire with groove
