WEEZER CRUISE - LOG ENTRY 4
The fourth and final instalment begins laced with a hint of sadness, as the dawning realisation that this will be our last day as part of the extended Weezer shipboard family gradually envelops all and sundry, but that’s not enough to stop us getting straight back into the swing of things. This is the first chance we’ve had to catch UK indie outfit Yuck on the trip, and we head up to the top deck to see them strut their stuff in front of a decent – albeit very groggy looking – group of fans. It’s once again a gorgeous sunny day, although it’s a bit windy as we’re under sail, but the four-piece get stuck into the task at hand and sound fantastic. I enjoyed their self-titled debut from last year immensely but this is the first chance I’ve had to see them play live, and as with their album it’s the heady mix of power and melody that they emit that really grabs you by the short and curlies. As they run through Holing Out and the mellow grooves of Shook Down it occurs to me that onstage you get a different sense of the band to that which you get from their studio incarnation – they don’t seem as in thrall to the common US touchstones that are bandied around like Dino Jr and Sonic Youth, and they’re also tapping into the cool UK indie sound that was owned by the likes of Future Kings Of Spain and Seafood a few years back. Whatever, it sounds great. I’ve never truly grasped the sentiment behind the lyrics to Suicide Policeman but it sounds great, while the undulating Milkshake, the ludicrously memorable Get Away and the hook-laden The Wall are also standouts. The band have a great persona – really laidback and personable – and it really adds to their charm; by the time the brilliant guitar lines of Operation give way to the slow build of set closer Rubber I’m well and truly hooked – make sure you see these guys at Laneway (or anywhere else) if you get the chance, they really do have the goods.
