Yannis & The Yaw | O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London (11/12/24)

There is a bright future for the Yaw project; and the excitement lies in what’s next.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

When Yannis and The Yaw started, it was a chance encounter that captured a moment, energy, and feeling in the room between Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis and the late great drummer Tony Allen.

While their studio sessions remained largely unfinished for numerous years, it felt right for the puzzle to be completed. What followed, this year, was the release of debut “Lagos, Paris, London” and a string of intimate shows, which in turn sparked a fuse onto something much larger. As a second mini-tour comes to a close, if this show is anything to go by, those possibilities are infinite.

The last time Yannis and his band arrived in London was at Koko, which felt like dipping toes into uncertain waters. The concept, confidence, and tracks were certainly there. And they really shone in spectacular light in a live environment—but something small was missing. Despite being incredibly well rehearsed, there was a sense of hesitance to dive completely head-first into the depths of the pit.

Returning just several months later, at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the project felt fully realised. Yannis himself has since expanded on the idea that the ‘Yaw’ is to be a catalyst for future collaboration. Everything fell into place, and this time both feet were firmly in the water without any holding back.

With only a limited EP worth of tracks, you’d be hard-pressed to fill a lengthy set. The focus here, however, is on how the songs are delivered. Most of the set revolved around the art of jamming, which Yannis is no stranger to - previously leading an all-live band ‘milk’. His efforts here feel much more distinctive and combine his greatest strengths from FOALS with various other creative musicians.

The outcome on stage was as rewarding for the audience as it was liberating for the award-winning frontman. On stage, the band was made up of Vincent Taeger (drums), Vincent Taurelle (keys) Dave Okumu (guitar), Seye Adelekan (guitar) and Kit Monteith (percussion). Each member really stood out and came into their own, the spotlight being shared, rather than on a singular member.

The show began with the groovy beats of Under The Strikes, lighting up Shepherds Bush with afrobeat colour. Walk Through Fire was then the obvious fast follower. Before this lead single dropped, our review exclaimed ‘if there were ever a live performance of this track, it may shake the world’, which felt particularly poignant. The track features a heavy but moderated riff, contrasted by Allen’s calm drumbeats - and this spirit translates live perfectly.

Elsewhere, a jam session combined with Night Green, Heavy Love spanned over 10 minutes, leaving the audience of 2000 captivated. This aforementioned jamming continued with an attempt at doing ‘justice’ to Tony Allen’s iconic Afrodisco Beat, also stretching well over 10 minutes.

Justice was served, and each band member was cooking on gas, adding more fuel to the fire at every opportunity. Hats off to Vincent Taeger on the drums, who had a near-impossible task of being in Allen’s shoes but thrived in every way possible. The live version of this track felt a lot grittier than the studio version, something everyone fully embraced. As much as most would love the Y&Y version on streaming, keeping it as a one-take-only piece leaves something special for the live shows.

To keep the Yaw flame alive, Yannis also treated us to a new track called Summertime. “A different taste,” he says, after showcasing a much darker side of the project. You can check the full video out on our Instagram.

In contrast, Clementine is on the other side of the spectrum, offering sunshine and optimism. If there were more synths, the bubblegum-pop number could’ve snuck onto Life Is Yours back in 2022.

Ending the evening was Rain Can’t Reach Us, fast becoming our favourite. The show came to a mighty close with that bold outro, before a roaring applause.

With Yannis’ unique stage presence, there were moments this could’ve become a FOALS show. Out of habit, if nothing else. However, his ability to live inside the ‘restrained’ paid off massively and the band dynamic felt entirely individual from any other works they may be involved in. Yannis was unshackled, in new ways. There is a bright future for the Yaw project; and the excitement lies in what’s next.

Were you at the show? Check out our Insta and TikTok for videos, or share your own with us.