YONAKA + NOISY + MIMI BARKS – CHALK, BRIGHTON 27.3.24
Among my group of friends, I think it’s fair to say that my taste in music is the most esoteric and strange; I’m always trying to engage them into the stuff that interests me and makes me happy, often to no avail. However, sometimes by the same token, my friends introduce me to the bands that they admire, often to pleasing results… one of which is the Brighton-based rock band YONAKA. Introduced to me by my friend Daniel, these guys are a three-piece group, formed ten years ago by vocalist Theresa Jarvis, guitarist George Edwards, bassist Alex Crosby and drummer Robert Mason. Their debut three-EP run of ‘Heavy’, ‘Teach Me To Fight’ and ‘Creature’, among several singles between 2016 and 2018 carried a distinctive alternative rock sound that would propel them from BBC Introducing and Radio 1’s Big Weekend stages towards the formation of their debut album ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’, as well as support tours with Bring Me the Horizon and Fever 333. Following the departure of Robert and the release of the band’s ‘Seize The Power’ mixtape, YONAKA have continued to go from strength to strength as they return to their hometown for the final date of a month-long tour across Europe and the UK at none other than Brighton’s Chalk.
Opening for YONAKA is the illustrious Mimi Barks, a German-born artist that infuses styles such as trap, metal, industrial music and hip hop, forming a unique style that carries a lot of personality and voice. Backed by the electronics of Monticolombi and the powerhouse drumming of Charles Evans, Mimi presents themself to the YONAKA crowd in various shades of leather clothing and a mask covered in spikes. The low and pummelling drum groove and abrasive spoken word of ‘Klingen & Stitches’ already sets the atmosphere for the night, a presence of heavy stamina and audience engagement. Mimi’s spiky mask is unadorned to reveal a short mop of yellow hair and pure black eye contacts that draw the crowd into the next track, ‘Mad Hoe’. Containing a heavy industrial sound palate (which reminds me a lot of the London-based Rage Doll), the track’s grinding guitar manipulations and rampant double kick work are magnificent in their stature. The slightly eerie synth chimes of ‘RAD’ give way to a more electronically driven rhythmic output, with Mimi standing confidently atop a metal platform having now removed their oversized leather coat. Charles backs away from the drum kit on the song ‘Sonic’ to engage in some crowd interaction as he and Mimi dive into the ever increasing circle pit.
‘SAW’ takes a slower approach in groove to open, with some weighty synth drones painting the mix of the room very nicely. I must say, Mimi’s vocals are still incredibly powerful considering they’ve been on the road with Yonaka for a month straight, belting out these powerful screams to crowds across the UK and Europe. Their vocal performance is immaculate, complimenting a chorus melody that doesn’t sound too far away from a ‘Jagged’-era Gary Numan song. A lot of personality comes through Mimi’s vocals, even on the track ‘SUICIDE’ which was unfortunately plagued by a lack of microphone volume and occasional feedback… still didn’t make the song any less engaging however! This track, as well as the following ‘FSU’ implement sparse usages of autotune in the chorus, with some extremely savage grooves donning the rhythmic parts of the track. Ending on a soul-crushing high is the heavy ‘Big Ass Chains’, with some rumbling distorting synth bass and amazing vocal screams taking the audience by the throats as Mimi climbs into the pit one more time, singing and dancing in various faces. To rapturous applause, Mimi, Monticolombi and Charles all thank the crowd and depart the stage swiftly to make room for NOISY.
Mimi Barks:
Mimi Barks – vocals
Charles Evans – drums
Monticolombi – electronics
Mimi Barks setlist:
‘Klingen & Stitches’
‘Mad Hoe’
‘RAD’
‘Sonic’
‘BACK OFF’
‘SAW’
‘SUICIDE’
‘FSU’
‘Big Ass Chains’
NOISY, formed by singer Cody Matthews, guitarist and producer Spencer-Tobias Williams, and synth player Connor Cheetham, was born from the remnants of Worthing-based indie band High Tyde, a band I was often in close proximity with when studying at Northbrook College in 2017 for five years. The trio swapped their indie pop bliss for high-energy uncertainty the likes of The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy could happily take under their wing. Rising onto the stage grasping a black flag with the NOISY logo on it, Cody mans the crowd effortlessly stating that “Friday is the new Wednesday”, instructing the audience to proclaim “f*ck Wednesday!”. This, paired with the electronic twisted synths of opening track ‘Young Dumb’ kicks the set off to a strong start for the trio. Already, the band are impressing me with the following cut, ‘Jacking The System’, by far, my favourite track of their set with its shuffling and glitching beats and very Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Bonkers’ propulsion. ‘Green Light’ makes use of skipping rhythms and sampled vocals, already making it a big night for any ravers in the crowd, especially with Cody almost MCing for the band, picking out a random audience member and assigning them the name Dave, designating him in charge of the mosh pit.
The lyrically abstract ‘ALLIGATOR’ is a great portion for Dave and his moshing duties, with the song itself featuring some breakbeat-style drums and slightly dubstep-tinged synth lines that pull the song through. From the track ‘I Wish I Was A…’ onwards, the set takes a much more melodic approach for the band which I really admire given the frantic big beat energy they had been implementing for the set so far. Although the Prodigy-influenced atmosphere did not hide underneath all these melodies however as the following ‘Put A Record On’ is as big beat as all hell and made for one of the more enthralling moments in the set, with Cody stating as the song closes, “Yeah, we really like The Prodigy”. The song ‘DESIRE’ carries a lot of weight with its soaring melodies and dancehall-tom grooves in its verses before a sea of phone flashlights flood the room for the final leg. NOISY bid us a farewell on the final track ‘ALL OF U’, even hugging Dave in the middle of the pit within the song’s trap arrangements and pop structures. It’s remarkable to see a band like High Tyde completely reinvent themselves towards a new direction and come out on the other side stronger and more sustainable than ever as NOISY are certainly one to watch out for in the future!
NOISY:
Cody Matthews – vocals
Connor Cheetham – guitar, keys
Spencer Tobias-Williams – guitar, keys
Benny – drums
NOISY setlist:
‘Young Dumb’
‘Jacking the System’
‘Green Light’
‘ALLIGATOR’
‘I Wish I Was A…’
‘Put a Record On’
‘DESIRE’
‘ALL OF U’
As several balloons are playfully bounced around the audience following NOISY’s departure, the stage is severely restructured to befit YONAKA whom, after 25 minutes, greet the audience fondly with the dynamic ‘By The Time You’re Reading This’, the opening track to their ‘Welcome To My House’ EP. Straight away, the band are benefiting from their new live drummer Jay Cobain, who gels with the core trio effortlessly within a tight and steady groove. This track reminds me a lot of Paramore with just a touch of Foals, something that is always a plus as both bands are favourites of mine, and yet, there’s still a distinctive unique quality to YONAKA that comes through without fault. There’s a complete 180 degree emotional turnaround on the track ‘Greedy’, with its minimal, but strong guitar riffs from George and electronic percussion backing a fantastic chorus delivered by Theresa Jarvis. Unfortunately, as picky as I am with mosh pits, the intense moshing that was born during the song ‘Punch Bag’ was not the best of times for me, but thankfully died down further into the set with comfort. The life-affirming melodies of ‘Call Me A Saint’ were stunning to hear from Theresa with her incredibly angelic vocals, sitting atop thumping beats from Jay and driving bass from Alex.
A cry of “Are there any creatures in the room?” fittingly brings us into the song ‘Creature’, a dancier cut that has Theresa manning the crowd with utter joy, while the slower ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’ has an anthemic alternative quality to it that reminds me of a cross between Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind?’ and Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Heathens’. Things take a more thunderous turn on the track ‘Hands Off My Money’, one of my favourite tracks in the set with its repeated chants of the title lyric and a loose, sludgy presence that works in its favour. As someone who suffers from social anxiety, I related to the following song ‘PANIC’, a song about panic attacks that maintains a strong pop melody that leads to waving arms from the crowd. Before heading into the next track, Theresa remarks on how the ‘Welcome To My House’ EP is a gateway into how her life and how her brain works. This title track from that EP is filled with growling sub bass lines, delay-drenched distorted guitars and a stellar groove, not to mention some lovely sombre piano chords in the bridge, and George’s incredible guitar solo! Another strong favourite of the set for me is the song ‘I Want More’, possibly the most hyperactive the band gets for the entire night. Theresa’s frantic vocals with an utterly electrifying guitar riff, alongside splitting the crowd in half mid-song made for some fabulous live moments to end the month off!
Theresa checks with the crowd if they’re okay for water before Jay and George depart the stage leaving her and Alex alone for a sweet acoustic rendition of the song ‘Give Me My Halo’. The tuned-down washes of acoustic guitar from Alex is bittersweet and gorgeous, as is Theresa’s vocals, which paint a very rustic picture for the crowd to witness. The night resumes to pure savagery as the song ‘PREDATOR’ turns the energy back to full blast with rumbling synths and electronic textures, not to mention a fantastic build-up towards the final moments! The equally relentless ‘Clique’ sees the four members moving across the stage a lot more, with George even blasting his voice down the microphone for the song’s chorus. Ending the main set is the soft introduction of ‘Rockstar’, which of course, gives way to a more atmospheric, yet still punchy driving force, with the audience jumping at full height with no inhibitions! As YONAKA leaves the stage, many cries for “one more song” flood the Chalk hall, bringing the four-piece back up for not just one, but two! The first of which, ‘Ordinary’, is by far the strongest song of the set sonically with rampant and sharp guitar chords and great groove changes from Jay. The band have one last hurrah for their month-long tour with the fan-favourite ‘Seize The Power’, backed by synth choir and a great swinging rhythm that sticks so well! The song’s amazing dynamic progression throughout is a wonderful example of the energy that YONAKA had been delivering for the entire night before they left the stage for the final time. Ten years down the line and it looks like YONAKA are showing zero signs of slowing down; ever-evolving in sound and scope, greeting and converting new fans by the venue-load and powering on to no end!
YONAKA:
Theresa Jarvis – vocals
George Edwards – guitar
Alex Crosby – bass, keyboards
Jay Cobain – drums
YONAKA setlist:
‘By The Time You’re Reading This’
‘Greedy’
‘Punch Bag’
‘Call Me A Saint’
‘Creature’
‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’
‘Hands Off My Money’
‘PANIC’
‘Welcome To My House’
‘I Want More’
‘Give Me My Halo’
‘PREDATOR’
‘Clique’
‘Rockstar’
(encore)
‘Ordinary’
‘Seize The Power’
