Yak (band)

Yak
Background information
Origin Wolverhampton, England
Genres Alternative rock, psychedelic rock, indie rock, noise rock
Years active 2014 (2014)–present
Labels Octopus Electrical,
Fat Possum Records,
Third Man Records
Associated acts Yelps, INTL, Popstrangers, The Mud Babies, Weapons, Splashh, Peace
Members Oliver Henry Burslem
Andy Jones
Elliot Rawson

Yak are an English alternative rock band, formed in 2014 and composed of singer-guitarist Oliver Henry Burslem, bassist Andy Jones and drummer Elliot Rawson.

The band released their debut album Alas Salvation in May 2016.

History

Childhood friends Burslem and Jones (who have known each other since the age of about 5)[1] were previously members of Wolverhampton band Yelps,[2][3] who released their debut single "P.E.O.P.L.E" in 2007 via 1965 Records and follow up single "Ramshackle Of A Rave" the following year on Union Mills Records.[4] An EP "This Ain't No Mardi Gras" was released in Japan in late 2008 before the band split.[5] Burlem and Jones went on to form INTL with future Splashh members Toto Vivian and Tom Beal.[6] In 2013, Burslem toured the US with Peace temporarily replacing guitarist Douglas Castle.[7]

The duo later met New Zealand-born drummer Elliot Rawson in London. Rawson had previous played with Auckland bands The Mud Babies[8] and Popstrangers.[9] He also worked as a DJ, remixer and producer, under the guise of Weapons.[10]

The band uploaded the song Plastic People to their SoundCloud in November 2014[11] before releasing debut single Hungry Heart on Fat Possum Records in February 2015.[11] They released follow up single Plastic People the following May, again on Fat Possum.[1] In September 2015, the band released No via Third Man Records.[12]

The band have toured extensively through 2015/16, which has included support tours with Peace,[13] King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard[14] and The Last Shadow Puppets[15] and shows at SXSW,[16] Through early 2016, the band toured with bassist Andy Jones temporarily replaced by Gallon Drunk member Leo Kurunis[17] as he had reportedly left the country to stay at a buddhist retreat. Kurinus also appeared in the promo video for Victorious (National Anthem)[18]

The band released their debut album Alas Salvation in May 2016 on their own Octopus Electrical label.[14] The album (except 'Smile' which was previously recorded with John Coxon of Spiritualized) were produced with former Pulp bassist Steve Mackey.[19] It was received with positive critical review, gaining favourable reviews from publications such as Q Magazine, The Guardian, DIY Magazine and The 405.[20] As with all previous releases, the debut album artwork featured work by influential London/Los Angeles based photographer and artist Nick Waplington.[21]

The band spent the rest of 2016 touring - playing both festivals, including 2016 Glastonbury festival and Reeperbahn Festival, and headlining their own shows. The year was culminated with a UK tour, ending with a sold-out headline show at London's Scala venue.[22] They were accompanied on stage on this tour with Saxophonist Martin Slattery.

The band released the digital-only double A-side single 'Heavens Above / Semi-Automatic' in October 2016. Steve Mackey returned to the producing role on the new release.[23]

Band members

Discography

Singles

"Harbour the feeling"

Albums

References

  1. 1 2 "Discovery: Yak - Page". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  2. ↑ http://vinyl-junkie.com/label/yelps/
  3. ↑ http://serotonine.slynt.com/interview-4-yak/
  4. ↑ "The Yelps, The Leadmill, Wednesday". The Star. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  5. ↑ "This Ain't No Mardi Gras Yelps CD Album". CDJapan. 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  6. ↑ http://thewhistles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/intl.html
  7. ↑ "Tiger Tales : Peacefully rocking out". Jthstigertales.org. 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  8. ↑ "Unknown - New Zealand Musicians & Bands". Muzic.net.nz. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  9. ↑ Eyers, Ryan (2009-10-05). "Interview with Joel from Popstrangers — Salient". Salient.org.nz. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  10. ↑ http://thedepartmentofnews.com/5-minutes-with-weapons/
  11. 1 2 "Listen: Yak's Debut Song 'Plastic People' Justifies The Hype". Nme.com. 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  12. ↑ "Yak - The "No" Ep". Thirdmanrecords.com. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  13. ↑ "Peace". Rock City. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  14. 1 2 Connick, Tom (2016-02-09). "Yak announce debut album 'Alas Salvation', share 'Victorious (National Anthem)' video | DIY". Diymag.com. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  15. ↑ Lowerson, Adam (2016-04-04). "The Last Shadow Puppets, YAK: Olympia, Liverpool". Getintothis.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  16. ↑ "Yak | SXSW 2016 Event Schedule". Schedule.sxsw.com. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  17. ↑ http://thequietus.com/articles/14880-gallon-drunk-interview
  18. ↑ "YAK - Just like to say a MASSIVE thank you to our friend...". Facebook. 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  19. ↑ Hann, Michael (2016-05-12). "Yak: Alas Salvation review – a force of nature". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  20. ↑ Alas Salvation by Yak, retrieved 2016-11-28
  21. ↑ "Nick Waplington's artwork for Yak, a striking representation of their sound". It’s Nice That. 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  22. ↑ "Yak, Scala, London". DIY. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  23. ↑ "New Music Of The Day – Yak 'Semi Automatic' (Video)". NME. 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
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