Real Live Flesh: tUnE-yArDs - 2010-03-20 - Bottom Of The Hill, SF

credit: RecycleYourPets

Digging through this year's archives for this one.  Have to say this was my second-or-third favorite performance of 2010.

tUnE-yArDs is Merrill Garbus, on loopstation, drums, ukelele, and earth-scorching, soulful vocals.

I had the extreme pleasure of seeing her open along with Noveller (featured in a previous post) for Xiu Xiu back in March.

If Merrill Garbus is ever in your vicinity, RUN, not walk, to see her perform.  To be honest, not much that the legendary record label 4AD has signed over the past few years has caught my fancy...until tUnE-yArDs.  A web search should turn up all the raves she's getting for her live performances...very much well deserved.  She pretty much killed it, as the kids would say these days.  Utterly, unbelievably good, trust me on this one. :)  So good, I bought all the merch on offer, letting her pick the color of my T-Shirt (blue)...

She was joined by frequent cohort Nate Brenner on bass and a saxophonist who provided appropriate bleeting sounds at opportune intervals.  Even the most grumpy rump-addled punter (meaning yours truly) started grooving and shaking their butts to the rhythms on display.  Oh.  My.  Fucking.  God.  Just mind-blowing.

I felt sorry for Jamie Stewart, there would have been no way for Xiu Xiu to top what we had just seen here, short of acting out on the impulses which propel his quite extreme images in his lyrics...no fault of their own, but kudos to him for having her on board on tour to co-headline...even if he was Buzzcocks to her Joy Division.

tUnE-yArDs

2010-03-20

Bottom Of The Hill

San Francisco CA

equipment:   Sonic Studios DSM-6/L > Edirol R-09HR

Setlist:

Real Live Flesh / You Yes You / Fiya / Powa / Gangsta / Hatari
Bizness 

This is an abridged version, didn't think you wanted to hear me and tomzero at the start discussing recording levels or settings.

credit: HippieFromHell67

A YouTube search has turned up some excellent footage from the following users of this particular show:

 

krunkosaurus    (480p, iPhone3GS vertical, leftish):

                                        Real Live Flesh

RecycleYourPets (1020p HD, stg right):  (end of) Fiya > Powa
hippiefromhell67(480p, iPhone3GS vertical, 2nd row):
                                        Powa > Gangsta

RecycleYourPets (1020p HD, stg right):  Bizness

There's also streaming video of 4AD 'sessions' here:  http://www.4ad.com/sessions/001/   This should give you a further taste of things...