YARD ACT CREATE ANTICIPATION FOR NEW ALBUM WITH LAUNCH SHOW
LIVE REVIEW | YARD ACT | LA BELLE ANGELE, EDINBURGH | 16th July 2026 by Morgan Hermiston
On the eve of the release their third album, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music, Leeds lads Yard Act played an intimate album launch show at Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele as an outstore for Assai Records. The now released record is an eclectic eleven-track exercise in observing the world around you, and hearing it live before it was publicly available was such a treat.
Starting sharp at 8pm, Yard Act were quick to get into the depth of things. They played You’re Gonna Need A Little Music from start to finish, with opening three songs ‘Empty Pledges‘, single ‘New Beginnings‘, and ‘Tall Tales‘ really igniting the excitement and energetic anticipation in the room.
Frontman James Smith told a story of the band’s time in Edinburgh, a previous show at The Caves, and that they’d tried an Irn Bru float too. Smith then spoke about going to get gelato, talking about the rich Italian migration history of the Scottish capital, boasting a knowledge for the city that had a lot of those in attendance cheering. “This next song is called ‘Fiction‘, but that was all fact,” was the statement leading into the next portion of the set.
Title track, ‘You’re Gonna Need A Little Music‘, showed that the band’s typical talkative tones still work. ‘Cherophobe Rock‘ was short, sharp and connected the theme of catchy choruses, allowing people to learn the words relatively quickly. ‘Thrill of the Chase‘ and ‘Janey Said‘ were up next. The first of these had rapid rap-like lyrics and it saw vocals and musical melodies form at points so they were one encapsulated entity. The latter was slower, demonstrating that while the tempos fluctuate, there is no performing power lost at all.
Single ‘Redeemer‘, ‘Talky Talky People‘ and ‘Over The Barrel‘ closed out the album launch portion of the show. The single had a striking impact, with many singing along instantly, the thunderous tones being an instant hit. ‘Talky Talky People‘ was a particular highlight for me. This had more of an uplifting feel that was still unequivocally Yard Act’s, a lighter sound littered with the critiques so crucial to their identity. ‘Over The Barrel‘ was an atmospheric end to this portion, and writing this review today, the album has been on repeat.
Smith opened up the conversation to the crowd at this point to ask what songs they wanted to hear. I loved this concept, it allows every show on the album launch to be slightly different, and gave fans the opportunity to hear songs they haven’t heard live for a while. There was seven songs included in this part, six of which came from 2022 record The Overload, with opening song ‘An Illusion‘ taken from 2024 album Where’s My Utopia? Those taken from the debut release included ‘Dead Horse‘, ‘Fixer Upper‘ and ‘100% Endurance‘.
Throughout, Smith’s theatrical presence merged methodically with the band’s cynical and analytical anecdotes. Bassist Ryan Needham‘s riffs were prevalent for a huge portion of the show, providing both foundation and melody at times. Drummer Jay Russell added to these undertones with fills that added unique variety, cementing the individualistic identity of Yard Act. Solos, quirks, and techniques quintessential to guitarist Sam Shipstone really furthered the huge fusion of talent within the group.
Yard Act are currently playing more intimate album launch shows and signings across the UK. More information for these can be found here. The band are also going on a full-length UK tour in November, beginning in their hometown of Leeds, and ending in Brixton. Details for these shows can be found below as well as here.
- bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shipstone and drummer Jay Russell
