The Audio Perv

Words by Ace Ubas, photos by Marcello Ambriz

In an interview I did with Yacht, they discussed how a visual media is important in their live set as it compliments their music. Typically, they have visual projections that appear behind them as they perform. But at the Glasshouse in Pomona Friday night, they were without projections (because of the venue set up, maybe?). Instead, two images of their triangle logo donned the stage to decorate the stage. However, the real visual spectacle was the band itself, led by Claire Evans, wearing a sparkling white dress, and Jona Bechtolt, wearing a contrasting all-black outfit, putting on a show that was full of pure raw energy, emotion, and all-out fun.

One of the things that make Yacht such a fun act to watch is that they always interact with the crowd in fun and engaging ways. Whether it’s jumping in the crowd or participating in impromptu Q & A sessions, they always include the audience as part of their performance. Then again, when you’re making pop music that everyone can dance along to, it really doesn’t take much to get the crowd’s attention.

The show was the last show of their current tour and it served as a welcome home party (they just moved from Portland to Los Angeles). And a party it certainly was as they opened with “Paradise Engineering” from their latest stellar album Shangri-La and followed it up with the older “Summer Song,” an appropriate number for the current season. Claire and Jona showed off their dance moves and impressive choreography by moving their arms in sync with one another, further emphasizing their visual spectacle.

“Beam Me Up” was filled with 80s-pop synth chords, while Jona showed off his guitar chops, delivering a blistering solo on “I Walked Alone.” Though the show wasn’t a sell-out, there were more than enough fans to fill-up the dance floor and move from start to finish. A devoted fan even threw a cookie on-stage in the shape of their logo. Yacht’s ability to connect with their fans is uncanny, and in turn, is shown countless amounts of love. The loudest cheers of the night came during oldie “Psychic City” as most of the crowd surprisingly knew the words to it. Jona took over lead vocals for “Tripped and Fell in Love” and jumped in the crowd as everyone surrounding him sang and danced along to the music. After the song, the band did a brief Q and A session with a couple of fans that led to Claire praising the film Prometheus. Jona also did a brief intro to the rest of the band and their astrology sign, showing his appreciation and providing credit where credit was due.

They closed out with their set with “Dystopia” and a cover of French avant-garde singer Brigitte Fontaine’s “Le Goudron” as Evans sang the French lyrics to perfection. For their encore, they dished out with the slower-yet-catchy anthem of “Shangri-La” and “Utopia.”

Yacht is easily one of the best bands and performers today. Not only do they interact with their fans all the time breaking the typical barrier between audience and performer, but also execute their music to near-perfection to provide a great overall experience. Their limitless energy is ridiculously infectious that the crowd never stopped a beat when dancing along. Yacht is more than just words or music being played throughout the venue, but they’re also performers filled with dance moves, choreography and fashion styles, proving that they’re artists on every level. .