James Yuill at the Sebright Arms

Folktronica virtuoso James Yuill took to the stage in the basement of Sebright Arms last night. He played an enjoyable and electrifying set before a crowd of animated fans.

Yuill came to light in 2005 with his first album The Vanilla Disc, which he released independently. After his second album Turning Down Water for Air in 2007 he was signed by Moshi Moshi who re-released the album, turning it to a breakout hit in 2009.

His music is a distinctive mash up of 80s synth pop and acoustic singer-song writer fare. His band is the bank of computers in front of him – he stands behind a table laden with all manner of synthesizers and electronic drum kits.

He is a modern interpretation of the one man band, and he does an incredible job making a complex, layered and powerful sound.

His set consisted of material from all eras of his oeuvre, starting with an outstanding rendition of his single of 2012, Lost in California. This was followed after a quick introduction by his classic On Your Own, which set the room alight with vocal approval from the crowd.

For the second part of the set he played his new singles and some experimental tracks, and the crowd received them with the same degree of raucous enthusiasm as with his better known songs.

Sebright Arms’ basement is a low-ceilinged room, perfect for the intimate atmosphere and personal touches Mr Yuill puts into a concert: the repartee, the jokes and the discourse with the audience between each track highlighted his innate showmanship.

The light show projected behind him (generated by a wireless camera and a pre-made slideshow) created a fascinating and generally welcome visual accompaniment to the music, though a few members of the crowd were annoyed by the intrusion.

The night was exceptionally enjoyable, the music superlative, the performance perfect and the atmosphere dynamic. If a fantastic evening of live electronica is your idea of fun, James Yuill is your man.

Andrew Collins
Photos: Andrew Collins

For further information and future events visit James Yuill’s website here.