Yuck, Porcelain Raft
Wednesday, October 12 at the Black Cat (Washington DC)
Traveling north of Richmond for a show in D.C. is a trek I’ve made many times; you can only decide post-show if the two hours in traffic was worth it. When I drove up on Oct. 12 to see Yuck at Black Cat, my expectations were up in the air. It’s never easy for a lo-fi band to enjoyably fill the walls of a dimly lit, 700-capacity venue. Thankfully, Yuck made my half tank of gas well worth it.
Yuck, Porcelain Raft
Wednesday, October 12 at the Black Cat (Washington DC)
Traveling north of Richmond for a show in D.C. is a trek I’ve made many times; you can only decide post-show if the two hours in traffic was worth it. When I drove up on Oct. 12 to see Yuck at Black Cat, my expectations were up in the air. It’s never easy for a lo-fi band to enjoyably fill the walls of a dimly lit, 700-capacity venue. Thankfully, Yuck made my half tank of gas well worth it.
Frontman Daniel Blumberg and guitarist Max Bloom formed Yuck after both having played in Cajun Dance Party in 2008, and added drummer Jonny Rogoff and bassist Mariko Doi to the line-up. Since releasing their self-titled debut in February of this year, their shoegaze sound has been compared to that of Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement. They gained much attention as a band to watch at SXSW in March, and landed a spot at Pitchfork Music Festival in July.
Come Wednesday night, The Black Cat was filled with brooding twentysomethings and overexcited teenagers. Opening for Yuck was Porcelain Raft, a one-man band comprised of Mauro Remiddi, who has been touring with Yuck for a few months. He took the stage with an earnest enthusiasm and a sound machine at his feet. The highlight from his electro lo-fi set was the jangly pop of “Dragonfly.”
Yuck opened with “The Base of a Dream Is Empty,” a b-side featured on the recently released deluxe edition of their debut album. Daniel Blumberg stood tall and timid in a Canadian tuxedo and, along with the rest of the band members, concentrated on performing for most of the evening, rather than dancing around or telling unfunny jokes. Other highlights of the set included garage rock single “Get Away,” and b-side “Milkshake.”
They closed their set with “Rubber,” a song I didn’t really care for on the album but was blown away by once I heard it live. The Black Cat turned into a dark noisy den that reverberated with Blumberg’s crooning of “Should I give it up?” Yuck finished their 12 song set and packed up their gear without an encore. Drummer Rogoff stood outside smoking a post-show cigarette as dozens of fans complimented him on the set.
Yuck continues their tour in Europe before playing alongside Dinosaur Jr. and Weezer on the Weezer Cruise next year, from Jan. 19 through Jan. 23.
Words by Sabrina Barekzai
Images by Mike Katzif/Hello Come In
