Review: Yellowbirds at Great Scott

By Ross Owen, Muse Staff Writer

On Feb. 15, I had the pleasure of seeing Yellowbirds perform at the Great Scott in Allston. The show was opened by two local bands, Da Birdz and Quilt. Featuring a guitarist with insanely fast hands, Da Birdz played a mix of psychedelic and hard rock. When he wasn’t overdoing the effects, the lead for Da Birdz displayed high energy and a great ability to rock out. Quilt provided a nice change from Da Birdz, and played more indie rock.

Preparing for their longest tour ever, which starts next week, Quilt seemed very comfortable on stage in front of the home crowd. Proving that they too can rock, Quilt treated the audience to a great cover of The White Stripes, before calling it a night.

Finally, it was Yellowbirds turn to perform, and though it was a bit later than I expected, Sam Cohen immediately impressed me when he got on stage. Even setting up, it was clear that Cohen was prepared to put on a show. And, despite having a large amount of equipment, his set-up was smooth and quick (greatly appreciated after a late start to the show).

Yellowbirds opened with “The Rest of My Life,” giving Cohen a chance to show off his wide range of sounds (from guitar to electric chimes). Continuing on, Yellowbirds shared a new song before Cohen asked if the audience would like to hear another, which was responded by a resounding, “Yes!” The second new song was very good, and a great preview for what should be a very good sophomore album for Yellowbirds.

Possibly the most impressive part of the show for me, was the amazingly high quality of Yellowbirds’ performance. Often, I expect a new band to sound better recorded than live, but for the experienced Sam Cohen, it was the exact opposite. He was able to replicate his trippy indie-rock sound just as well, if not better, live. Needless to say, I am anxiously awaiting Yellowbirds’ sophomore album.