WHY? front man Yoni Wolf cuts an unlikely figure, sloping on to stage at the Union Chapel with a cup of tea in hand. The self-proclaimed “master of the cheap pun” definitely seemed most comfortable with a stream of words flowing out of his mouth – and he didn’t fail to please with a torrent of wry jokes, reflections on death and self-deprecation.
Sometimes Yoni’s sheer lyrical ability made sitting still in the pews seem a bit absurd – having floated around lo-fi and rap groups for some time before forming his present band, he’s clearly a veteran MC. The casual competence of Doug Mc Diarmid and Josiah and Liz Wolf, who effortlessly shared instruments and sometimes teamed up on the same drum kit, was a very adult contrast to Yoni’s jerky dancing to the shifting rhythms they laid down.
Yoni remarked, “I feel a little less…weird” – and the stripped-down set showed how confident the band has become. Tracks from their eagerly anticipated new album seemed a natural progression from the Alopecia standards, and both were received with enthusiasm from a dazzled audience. The crowd pounded on the floor for an encore and ‘A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under’ chased up with ‘By Torpedo or Crohn’s’ soared out into the red glow of the chapel.
Experienced and Review by Tom Jeffery
Visit the bands website WHY?
Sometimes Yoni’s sheer lyrical ability made sitting still in the pews seem a bit absurd – having floated around lo-fi and rap groups for some time before forming his present band, he’s clearly a veteran MC. The casual competence of Doug Mc Diarmid and Josiah and Liz Wolf, who effortlessly shared instruments and sometimes teamed up on the same drum kit, was a very adult contrast to Yoni’s jerky dancing to the shifting rhythms they laid down.
Yoni remarked, “I feel a little less…weird” – and the stripped-down set showed how confident the band has become. Tracks from their eagerly anticipated new album seemed a natural progression from the Alopecia standards, and both were received with enthusiasm from a dazzled audience. The crowd pounded on the floor for an encore and ‘A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under’ chased up with ‘By Torpedo or Crohn’s’ soared out into the red glow of the chapel.
Experienced and Review by Tom Jeffery
Visit the bands website WHY?
Published on 17 November 2011 by Wayne Feltham
