Yard Act Deliver an Album Launch to Remember at Liverpool's Jacaranda
- L J Hubbard
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Jacaranda Liverpool – 17th July 2026
WORDS / IMAGES L J HUBBARD
Liverpool offers many ways to have a boss Friday night out in town, but none of them could live up to Yard Act’s album launch show at the Jacaranda on Friday.
The post-punk four piece’s first time performing in the city since 2024 was not one to miss: a high octane, intimate playthrough of their latest album, ‘You’re Gonna Need a Little Music’.
As Friday was the album’s release day, it was many people’s first time hearing the record and what a way to be introduced.
Hearing the record in the in the most raw and passionate way possible whilst sharing that precious moment with 400 other diehard fans is something so special, it’d be hard to forget.
The joy of intimate shows is the feeling of being close to the music, the band and their energy and getting the chance to show them how much you admire their work and it’s good to know that engaging with the crowd is not a thing lead singer, James Smith will shy away from.
At one point he found himself chatting away with a crowd member which he quickly had to cut off as he remembered that he had an album to perform to 400 eager fans.
Conversation aside, the show itself was astounding and in particular Cherophobe Rock, a song that was sandwiched between the record’s back-to-back bangers was a true highlight.
It felt like we were going right back to the peak of indie sleaze with vocals not unlike a young Alex Turner mixed in with Yard Act’s signature grungy, heavy guitar licks.
Gracing the stage for just over an hour, lead singer every member poured every last bit of energy they had into the performance.
Smith is like the second coming of Jarvis Cocker with his warm, northern twang shining through his vocals, his flowing, free dance moves and his often deadpan way of delivering his lines. They’re so alike in fact that if you’d switched the two singers out, no one would bat an eyelid.
They’re a band that love to move with guitarist Sam Shipstone absolutely tearing up the stage, jumping at every opportunity — so high he could hit the ceiling. There’s never a dull moment at a Yard Act gig, that’s for sure.
Album launches are truly the cream of the crop, giving fans something different, a step away from the usual setlist and they allow the band to experiment and see what goes down well and what doesn’t.
Honestly, they’re going to have a hard time picking the favourites on future tours because every single track went down a storm.
Janey Said felt more like a spoken word poem put to music. Something so unique like this isn’t what you’d usually hear live, and it broke the night up brilliantly, letting the audience take a breath and truly soak in the atmosphere.
As the night drew to a close and the album came to a finish, Smith asked the crowd what they wanted to hear next. The volume of the response was immense, I don’t know how Smith deciphered the requests, but he sure got it right because the final three songs were by far the most welcomed of the night: An Illusion, Tall Poppies and The Trapper’s Pelts.
For Yard Act, the only way is up. They have nailed this album release in every possible way.
If you get the chance to catch them on their UK tour in November, don’t pass up the opportunity — you won’t regret it.
SET LIST
Empty Pledges
New Beginnings
Tall Tales
Fiction
You're Gonna Need a Little Music
Cherophobe Rock
Thrill of the Chase
Janey Said
Redeemer
Talky Talky People
Over the Barrel
An Illusion
Tall Poppies
The Trapper's Pelts
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