By Isaac Siegemund-Broka
Web Entertainment Editor
Three hours of chaotic and distorted noise are hardly the archetypal concert. However, New Jersey experimental rock group Yo La Tengo filled the El Rey Theatre on Feb. 23 with fans that were satisfied by just this.
The El Rey was originally built in 1936 as an art deco-style single-screen theatre, which gives it a unique vintage feel that provided the perfect atmosphere for the lively show. Doors opened at 8 p.m. and fans spilled in toward the stage.
The clocks hit 8:30 and the Urinals took the stage to open. The Urinals were an influential punk band in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and rocked an aggressive 45-minute set before departing to make way for the main act.
Yo La Tengo came to the stage to uproarious applause and brought with them what guitarist Ira Kaplan called their “concert gimmick”—a large “spin wheel” with various entertaining outcomes that has been a feature of their recent tour. A question-and-answer session with the band, a set of songs beginning with the letters, and a sitcom episode reenactment by the band were among the possibilities.
An audience member spun the wheel and landed on “sitcom theater,” so the crowd experienced a Yo La Tengo performance of one episode from Nickelodeon’s animated comedy, “SpongeBob SquarePants.” To both the audience’s and the band’s amusement, a 20-minute interactive script reading followed.
When the sitcom had finished, Yo La Tengo decided to play a few songs by the Condo F**ks, Yo La Tengo’s alter-ego. Devoted fans know and love this side-project and were ecstatic to get to view not only one but two of their favorite bands. The Condo F**ks generally carry the same musical vibe as Yo La Tengo but with a more garage-rock feel.
After a short break, Yo La Tengo retook the stage and started to play. What followed was a two-hour set of violent and gritty noise delicately contrasted with a few lyrical and calm songs mixed throughout. These softer tracks provided a break from the anarchic majority of the show.
The band’s intense and unique sound combines the aggressive avant-garde dissonance of noise punk with harmonic precision and the playful vibe of indie rock. Each song is distinctly different depending on the degree to which each of these components is used.
Kaplan’s freakish solos were the highlights of the set. In one song, he laid his guitar on the ground and hit the strings while playing with a massive pedal board while bassist James McNew and drummer Georgia Hubley kept a steady beat.
As vibrations and bizarre sound effects pulsed through the tiny theater, Kaplan maintained incredible control over the harsh and frantic sounds from his guitar.
Yo La Tengo’s brash and often directionless set included some recognizable and appreciated songs. Fan favorite “Autumn Sweater” put Kaplan on organ while Hubley and McNew both played separate drum kits. The versatility of the band’s members was impressive, with all three performers alternating on lead vocals and playing a wide range of instruments.
After ending its initial set, the band returned to play two lengthy encores. Finally, the Urinals, one of Kaplan’s favorite bands, returned to the stage to play alongside Yo La Tengo. The bands jammed two Urinals hits and then finally departed for good.
Yo La Tengo’s show at the El Rey Theatre was intense and deafening, but the band performed extremely well. Kaplan’s extraordinary guitar skill, McNew’s versatile and grooving support and Hubley’s impressive drum and vocal additions fused together to form an impeccable show.
The show satisfied as a crazy indie noise rock show that can hardly be paralleled.
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