Yard Act

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Yard Act
OriginLeeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Genres
Years active2019–present
LabelsIsland, Zen F.C.
Websitewww.yardactors.com
MembersJames Smith
Ryan Needham
Sam Shjipstone
Jay Russell
Past membersSammy Robinson
George Townend

Yard Act are a British rock band from Leeds, comprising James Smith (vocals, lyrics), Ryan Needham (bass), Sam Shjipstone (guitar) and Jay Russell (drums).[1] Their debut album The Overload was released on 21 January 2022 and debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.[2]

History[]

Prior to forming the band, vocalist James Smith and bassist Ryan Needham had both been members of other Leeds-based bands. Smith was a member of Post War Glamour Girls and Needham played in Menace Beach, two bands that released a split EP together in 2016. After the release of the EP, the pair began discussing forming a band together, a plan that eventually came to fruition in September 2019, when the pair moved into a house together in Meanwood. They soon recruited guitarist Sammy Robinson and drummer George Townend who played together in Treeboy & Arc.[3] During this period, Robinson departed from the group, leading to the recruitment of Sam Shjipstone.[3] Prior to the announcement of their debut album, the band had only released a total of four singles independently. These singles were then compiled onto an EP, titled Dark Days, released in 2021.[4]

Their debut album The Overload was released on 21 January 2022.[5][6] The group is "one to watch" in the BBC's Sound of 2022 shortlist.[7] The group was also named one of Paste's "Best New Artists of 2021".[8]

Musical style[]

Critics have categorised the band's music as post-punk[9] and indie rock.[10] Often making use of elements of 1970s Italo disco, ’90s hip-hop and early 2000s indie rock.[3]

Their lyrics are often political, discussing opposition to topics including capitalism, gentrification and social class, told using "dark humor and cynical storytelling".[10] Their lyrics also take a surrealist style, such as on the song Payday from their first album.

Members[]

Current

  • James Smith – vocals (2019–present)
  • Ryan Needham – bass (2019–present)
  • Sam Shjipstone – guitar (2020–present)
  • Jay Russell – drums (2020–present)

Former

  • Sammy Robinson – guitar (2019–2020)
  • George Townend – drums (2019–2020)

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[11] 		SCO
[12]
The Overload
  • Released: 21 January 2022
  • Label: Island, Zen F.C.
 2 1

Extended plays[]

Title Details
Dark Days
  • Released: 19 January 2021
  • Label: Zen F.C.

Singles[]

Title Year Album
"The Trapper's Pelts"[13] 2020 Non-album singles
"Fixer Upper"[14]
"Peanuts"[15]
"Dark Days"[16] 2021
"The Overload" The Overload
"Land of the Blind"
"Payday"
"Rich" 2022
"Pour Another"

Accolades[]

Nominated work Year Award Result
Yard Act 2022 NME Awards – Best New Act in the World[17] TBA
NME Awards – Best New Act from the UK[17] TBA
Yard Act 2021 ANCHOR - Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award[18] Won

References[]

  1. ^ "Yard Act's carefully woven reality deftly picks apart our own in the search for something bigger". The Line of Best Fit.
  2. ^ Savage, Mark. "Meat Loaf albums return to the UK charts after his death". BBC. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Jenessa. "Yard Act: Creating punk beyond what we already know – that the Tories are bad". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  4. ^ Skinner, Tom. "Listen to Yard Act's post-apocalyptic new single 'Dark Days'". NME. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  5. ^ Krol, Charlotte. "Yard Act announce debut album 'The Overload' and share title track". NME. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  6. ^ DeVille, Chris. "Yard Act – "The Overload"". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  7. ^ Maclure, Abbey. "Yard Act interview: Meet the Leeds rock band tipped as one to watch in the BBC Sounds of 2022 longlist". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. ^ "The 40 Best New Artists of 2021". Paste. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ^ Empire, Kitty. "Yard Act review – spiky chroniclers of sour times". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  10. ^ a b Fleischer, Norman. "Yard Act Are The Hottest New Indie Rock Band In Town And "Rich" Proves It". Nothing but Hope and Passion. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Yard Act | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  13. ^ "The Trapper's Pelts, by Yard Act". Yard Act. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  14. ^ "Fixer Upper / The Trapper's Pelts, by Yard Act". Yard Act. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  15. ^ "Peanuts, by Yard Act". Yard Act. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  16. ^ "Dark Days / Peanuts, by Yard Act". Yard Act. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  17. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew. "BandLab NME Awards 2022: Full list of nominations revealed". Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Yard Act wins ANCHOR 2021 | ANCHOR - Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award". www.anchor-award.com. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
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