For Yuck, a London-based four piece, rising to indie-rock stardom doesn’t come with any breaks. The band has learned this the hard way, trudging through visa troubles and a massive snowstorm — just to make its first United States performance in New York earlier this year.
Guitarist Max Bloom has been sick with a cold this week, and despite feeling very ill, the young axe-man has performed every night with Yuck, which will bring its noisy, melodic rock to the Black Cat in Washington tomorrow.
“The worst part was in Toronto,” Bloom said. “I was feeling ridiculous drunk from feeling ill almost. I [had] to concentrate really hard to make sure that I [sounded] all right. … It turned out okay in the end because I was concentrating really hard, but it was horrible feeling so shit on stage, but it was all right; I just kind of got through it.”
Canceling a show, or simply being absent from the stage for a night, is not an option.
“Definitely not,” Bloom said. “The only way I would not play is if I broke my hand — if I was like physically incapable of doing it. If I felt a little bit bad then that’s just a bit stupid.”
Despite the pressures of critical praise and new fan attention, the struggles are worth it, according to Bloom. With the group’s debut, self-titled album released in February, Yuck is still new to the large, sold-out concert halls the band has been playing on its tour with headliner Tame Impala. The opportunity to tour in the U.S. is a much-appreciated joy.
“It’s incredible to be playing in front of so many people, and you do kind of forget about that once you’re up there,” Bloom said. “But it’s never going to be a chore; it’ll always be I’m extremely grateful that I’m able to come to a different country and play for so many people. It’s incredible.”
Although the group hadn’t toured in the U.S. before crafting its splendid songs, it’s clear the band members have had their ears tuned to the underground American rock scene of the past few decades. The band’s classic indie-rock sound has garnered innumerable comparisons to the music made popular by Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement in the 1990s. The comparisons aren’t off base for Yuck. The group’s debut full-length is full of distorted guitars and fuzzy, summertime melodies.
Having toured extensively over the last year, the relatively young band has benefited greatly from the time on the road. Whether it be locking in to a groove with his bandmates or getting past any stage fright, Bloom says touring has been helpful.
“More than anything, touring gives the band the chance to be more creative on stage,” he said. “Once you get past the anxiety of people looking at you because you’re up there on the stage — which is something really weird and not many people are used to — once you’re sort of more comfortable you can experiment more. You get really tight as a band, and you can just experiment more with what you’re doing and play around with stuff. Touring is basically for putting on the best shows possible.”
Even though the group has earned praised from massive media outlets such as Rolling Stone and tastemakers including Pitchfork, the accolades haven’t gone to the members’ heads. Bloom and lead singer Daniel Blumberg began Yuck out of an urge to write music. The good fortune that has come with the band’s quality songwriting has just been icing on the cake.
“There was no, like, motivation. It was just making music,” Bloom said of Yuck’s late-2009 start. “Me and Daniel wanted to make music. I wasn’t doing anything, Daniel was sort of not doing anything. … I was just living with my parents. So Daniel and I just spent every day together and wrote loads of songs, and I recorded songs all day, every day. It was really fun. We just did it because for the joy of writing the song and nothing more really. At the beginning, our dream [was of] playing a gig, and so eventually we got [drummer Jonny Rogoff and bassist Mariko Doi] involved in rehearsing. And then took it in stages, I guess.”
At this rate, the stages Yuck takes will only get bigger.
Yuck will play at the Black Cat tomorrow. Doors open at 9 p.m. The show is sold out.
rhiggins@umdbk.com
