Surreal pop
It’s typical of the quirky Patrick Wolf to choose one of the most bizarre bands imaginable to support him on his UK tour. Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans look like two devout street preachers from the Deep South and their stage presence is as creepy as it is intriguing; it’s as if the audience are just waiting for the second when they snap and turn into TV evangelists. Although there are slightly surreal songs that discuss the likelihood of the afterlife existing, this is unlikely to happen, when Claire L. Evans removes the black shroud from her head it’s only to engage in more frantic dancing and stalking of the stage, rather than to spread any known gospel. The duo teeter somewhere between psychedelic and manic with bluesy beats anchoring surging keyboard tracks. Neither of the two play instruments on stage, allowing them to give their full attention to the audience, strutting around the stage and engaging in crazy dancing, while encouraging the audience to do the same. At one point they allow the audience to ask them questions in the hope of bridging the divide between audience and performers, an interesting technique which at least entertains. The pair seem as interested in the audience as we are of them, stopping to point out some particularly attractive specimens in the crowd. The music itself is impossible to describe, it’s frequently beat heavy, always highly colourful and trippy and very much suitable for dancing.
According to their website Yacht, “is a group conscience” and anyone can join Team Yacht. Whether or not this is to be taken seriously, Yacht produce ecstatic pop music and are definitely worth catching live as you’ll never see anything like it again.