Review: Synth-pop legend Yaz brings back its '80s magic
By Jim Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 07/08/2008 10:20:19 AM PDT
Vince Clarke is a founding member of three of the most significant synth-pop bands in history: Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yaz.
The first two have each been around now for well over 20 years. By contrast, Yaz released just two albums during its two-year run (1982-1983).
Yet, a lasting mark can be made in a relatively short period â?? and that's exactly what synthesizer king Clarke and vocalist Alison Moyet accomplished with their U.K. duo Yaz.
Bay Area fans haven't forgotten the albums, "Upstairs at Eric's" and "You and Me Both," or the great dance hits "Situation" and "Don't Go," which is why a full house at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Monday greeted Yaz as it launched the North American portion of its reunion tour. The evening marked the first time that the duo had ever performed in the Bay Area.
Better late than never.
Kicking off the show with the defiant torch-song anthem "Nobody's Diary," Yaz would deliver some 80 minutes' worth of synth-pop music that firmly connected with the crowd. The music was both nostalgic (leading people to remember all the times they had danced to these tunes in the past) and excitingly fresh (causing some to wonder when they had last heard a modern synth-pop track that was good as what Yaz turned out in the early '80s).
More so than with most duos, Yaz's appeal was always evenly split between its two members.
Clarke was the guy responsible for the crazy, addictive dance-floor beats. We had no reason to suspect that those grooves wouldn't hold up at the Paramount â?? and hold did. Standing nearly motionless behind a small-stack of computer equipment, the 48-year-old Englander pushed all the right keys as Yaz continued through "Bad Connection," "Mr. Blue" and "Good Times."
Moyet's deep, husky and sensual voice seems, at least on paper, an unlikely companion to Clarke's cool electro blizzard. Yet, the two ended up meshing so perfectly on record, combining at times to create a sound best described as techno blues. Moyet, however, was in her early 20s when Yaz made its two albums and there were legitimate concerns that the vocalist, now 47, wouldn't be able to handle her signature vocal parts as convincingly in 2008.
Although she has lost some of her range, Moyet still managed to impress in Oakland as she soared through "Goodbye '70s," "In My Room" and "Walk Away From Love."
The stark, futuristic set design fit the music. The main props were the two strangely diaphanous video screens located behind the players, which showed a variety of images, from hands waving in the air to old TV commercials.
The bald-headed Clarke was robotically business-like, never addressing the crowd and rarely looking up from his expensive gadgets. Moyet showed more life, especially toward the end of the concert as she danced about the front of the stage. The real show, however, was in the crowd, as fans gyrated exuberantly to the two songs that everyone was waiting to hear: "Don't Go" and "Situation."
As the final techno beat was absorbed into the art-deco walls, one thing was made abundantly clear: These fans never forgot Yaz.
Reach Jim Harrington at
jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read his Concert Blog at
www.ibabuzz.com/concerts. Set list
1. "Nobody's Diary"
2. "Bad Connection"
3. "Mr. Blue"
4. "Good Times"
5. "Tuesday"
6. "Ode to Boy"
7. "Goodbye '70s"
8. "Too Pieces"
9. "In My Room"
10. "Anyone"
11. "Walk Away From Love"
12. Instrumental
13. "State Farm"
14. "Sweet Thing"
15. "Winter Kills"
16. "Midnight"
17. "Unmarked"
18. "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)"
19. "Don't Go"
Encore
20. "Only You"
21. "Situation"
