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Why? may not be the biggest name in the alternative scene, but with four albums under their belt they’ve developed a following of fans who love their unique sound. I’ve always had mixed feelings about front man Yoni Wolfs witty and dark poetics presented in a geeky hip-hop style, but after much persuasion by my friend, I thought – Why? in an old boat at the end of term... sure, why not?
So, my friend was far more excited than me, and after paying £4 for a cider I was starting to seriously question my reasons for coming. That was until we went down into the depths of Thekla to find the quaint and comforting voice of Josiah Wolf, the older brother of Yoni and the first support. He played about six tracks off his debut solo album, and was fun to watch as a professional one-man band. With ten other people being the only audience, I felt quite sorry for him as his performance deserved to be heard by many more.
Next up was I Might Be Wrong from Berlin. Understandably they were nervous, as it was their first time touring the UK, which showed in the lead singers performance. I’d been listening to them for quite a while, (first attracted to them by their Radiohead band name) and this live set didn’t do them justice, and neither did the dominating drum sound that no one tried to fix. Josiah had captured his audience, but you could here the murmur of the crowd grow as I Might be Wrong battled through disappointingly.
And then came Why?. Yoni Wolfs stage presence was a pleasure to watch. Their sound is different from most bands, though this might be expected with Yoni’s influence on their label Anticon. who are recognised for their alternative/hip-hop signings. The passion of his lyrics went down a storm; discussing self pity, pain and the anguish of past relationships, despite their personal nature, they tell a tale that most faces in the crowd found relatable. It was so good to see such a genuine lead singer, just loving what he was doing. There was banter with the crowd, killer dance moves and a set list that covered every sound from their albums.
While many bands prefer to play mostly new songs, Why? knew what their audience wanted and played more songs from their more popular third album Alopecia, including the popular tracks ‘The Vowels pt. 2’ and ‘A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under’ which had everyone singing along. While they didn’t play my personal favourites ‘Gemini’ and ‘This Blackest Purse’, the way he spat out his rhymes as though they were all fresh thoughts with not a seconds hesitation, prevented any form of disappointment.
The guitarist dedicated the evening to three recently deceased American musicians including Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. The sincere dedication was met with strong applause. There was a sense that Yoni perhaps expected more encouragement and reaction from the audience, and the band’s praise of other crowds at other shows on this tour seems to show they had enjoyed other nights more, but it was a mesmerising performance, and one of the best gigs I’ve been to in a long time. My friend and I were still discussing Yoni’s Jewfro and brilliant dance moves for many days after. This is a band made for intimate venues, as they hold the talent of making sure that everybody leaves thoroughly entertained, which very few bands do. I left feeling lucky to have seen them, especially on a boat.
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