LIVE REVIEW: Yours Truly @ The Grace, London
It’s been a year of ups and downs for Australians YOURS TRULY; they released their most accomplished record yet with their EP is this what i look like? but they were also forced to reschedule two celebratory shows from June thanks to unexpected illness, including tonight’s show at London’s The Grace.
Before they take the stage though, DELAIRE THE LIAR open the evening with their snarling, punk-flecked alt rock. The room is crowded already, though there’s little movement or involvement to start with despite the massive amounts of energy the band play with. A less-than-sober punter singing the hook from YOURS TRULY‘s Lights On doesn’t dissuade them either, vocalist Ffin Colley simply quipping “I didn’t catch a word of that, but yeah let’s go!” before they continue on without a hitch. They’ve more than a few devotees in the room and by the time they’re done, there’s sure to be plenty more looking them up on streaming afterwards.
Rating: 8/10
It’s something of an anticlimactic start for YOURS TRULY, both the vocals and guitar being overwhelmed by drums. A real shame given the singalong potential of opener Bruises and vocalist Mikaila Delgado‘s sheer star power. A few minutes later and they’re good to go, sound woes seemingly behind them as they launch into Careless Kind and the crowd sing every word back. The new songs from latest EP is this what I look like? are welcomed just as warmly as older fan favourites from I Can’t Feel and Circles, with a real sense that the fans are like a fifth member of the band. The energy exchange is almost palpable; clapping, singing loud enough to almost drown out all four of the band, cheering and applause that sometimes lasts into the next song. It’s enough to sustain them even through feedback that occasionally squeals through from the mic.
Half Of Me might not come with the (accidental) strobe lighting from last night’s Manchester show but it’s certainly no less special or atmospheric with it being so stripped back and emotion laid bare. It leads into an unexpected, hilarious segue as Bradley Cronan wanders back on after, chewing a biscuit before they spend a few minutes happily chatting about the chewiness of Pot Noodles. If anything, it only endears them more. YOURS TRULY clearly thrive on these small stages with so much energy exchanged between them and the crowd. They battle through tonight’s myriad sound issues valiantly; it’s a shame it does somewhat mar what should be a triumphant evening, but as they close with a raucous trifecta of Hallucinate, Walk Over My Grave and High Hopes, it’s obvious they also belong on far bigger stages, and soon.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Ciara Wilkinson Media here:
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