On the scene: Yaz reunion concert in London
Jun 19, 2008, 12:40 PM | by Dave Karger
Categories: British things, Concert Reviews, On the Scene
If you're as big an '80s pop fan as I am, you know Yaz. And you love them. Since I happened to be in London this week on "holiday" (as the locals say), I made sure to get my arse to the Hammersmith Apollo theater to catch the seminal British duo's "Reconnected Tour," marking their first live appearances since disbanding in 1983.
And oh my God, but for one hour and 20 minutes last night, I was back in junior high... just without all the painful tweenybopper awkwardness. When force-of-nature vocalist Alison Moyet (pictured) took the stage and sang the first line of "Nobody's Diary" ("If I wait for just a second more..."), the 25-year lag time since the single's release simply disappeared. Moyet and keyboardist/programmer Vince Clarke (now the mastermind behind another classic Britpop duo, Erasure), performed 21 tunes in all, to the intense delight of the largely gay audience (this was one of those rare events where the men's room line was longer than the women's). The staging was stark — Moyet and Clarke, both in all black, stood on a bare stage save for two video screens showing images from their old videos or graphics reminiscent of Space Invaders. But the visual minimalism only centered the attention on Clarke's brilliant songs: "Mr. Blue," "Bad Connection," and what Moyet called "one of my favorites," "Ode to Boy." (Incidentally, they performed one tune called "Tuesday" which I had never heard. Any fans out there know anything about it? Was it a B-side or something?)
The biggest roars from the crowd came for two of Yazoo's (as they're known in the UK) most massive hits: "Situation" and "Don't Go." After finishing "Situation," Moyet walked over to the famously stone-faced Clarke (the pair hadn't spoken for years when they reunited recently) and hugged him, leading to a bona fide smile from Clarke. But except for the occasional backup vocal, Clarke was virtually silent for the whole show while Moyet, who seemed truly moved by the response, addressed the crowd periodically. At one point, while introducing "Walk Away from Love," Moyet said, "Here's a song we've only recently added to the set. Haven't we?" Clarke responded, "Yes," and the audience went nuts.
As would be predicted, the evening ended with Yaz's debut single, "Only You," which was released in 1982 and has in recent years popped up in Napoleon Dynamite and the British version of The Office. "This song has been very kind to Vince Clarke," Moyet deadpanned. "Bastard!" After singing her last line, she stood center stage with Clarke and said, "Thank you so much for coming. We are Yazoo!" And we are all the better for it.
(Alison and Vince are headed to the U.S. next month. Go to yazooinfo.com for details.)
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