by Kendall Polidori
Is Yard Act the Future of Post-Punk Rock? Meet Elton John’s new favorite band
TRENDS
THE ROCKHOUND
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YARD ACT IS KNOWN for the angry, political alt-rock anthems on the band’s successful first album, The Overload, but the members don’t wear that rage on their sleeves. Instead, they display gratitude that people listen to them at all. “In the U.K., we had anticipated the reaction the album would get, but we had no idea what sort of reaction it would get in America,” said frontman James Smith. “We’ve been consistently blown away by how well it has done everywhere.” Yard Act—2022 Mercury Prize and NME Best New British Act nominee—was performing in Chicago for the second time when members of the band sat down with Luckbox. Their third gig was an official Riot Fest aftershow on Sunday, Sept. 18 at The Empty Bottle.
Yard Act kicks off their 2024 world tour in March in support of their upcoming album Where’s My Utopia?, out March 1, 2024. 22
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In 2022, the band released its first album, The Overload, which garnered major attention in the U.K. punk rock scene and quickly gained traction in the U.S. and beyond. With an appearance at South by Southwest in 2021, a year before the album release, Yard Act made its mark on fans with only two songs available on streaming services.
PHOTOGRAPH: PHOEBE FOX
An overloaded debut
LU C KBOX
12/21/23 6:31 PM
