Live Review: Yeo w/ Take Your Time & Saatsuma @ The Foundry

It’s official: Brisbane loves Yeo. The multi-talented musician and producer finished up his ‘Got No Game’ Tour in his hometown on Friday night to a glowing reception from friends, family, and long-time fans.

Take Your Time opened the night with glowing synth, unusual sound effects, and a healthy dose of nerves, clearly intimidated by the sparse crowd. It was when the volume built up that the first track got interesting, and at its conclusion they launched into the rest of the set with jazzy piano, funky beats, smooth vocals, and newfound confidence.

Repeated hooks lulled the crowd into a dreamlike state, broken only by unexpected technical dramas. Meanwhile, Yeo mingled with friends amongst the crowd, greeting each with a bear hug. The headliner jumped onstage to play guitar for one of the final numbers of the set, sending their confidence skyrocketing with his energy. As quickly and casually as he had appeared, Yeo stepped down and Take Your Time followed suit.

The crowd began to disperse immediately, but Saatsuma were quick to draw them back in. They began the set with a look of total concentration and calm about them, the purity of frontwoman Maddy Kelly’s voice making a perfect match for the band’s anthemic instrumental style. Constrasted against slurred vocals and gritty synthesisers, Kelly’s incredible top belt stole the show, and their smooth cover of Twice by Little Dragon had everyone, including Yeo, swaying along.

In a live setting, Yeo’s voice was even more inviting, drawing out the crowd’s best dance moves and loudest cheers.

Their natural way with each other on stage made them great entertainment regardless of their set list, from the early-Avril Lavigne style of Storm through to the quiet energy of Floating, the vocal falsetto suspending the whole room in silence. Yeo appeared 15 minutes later and began the long process of setting up, made even longer by technical dramas. He looked endearingly shy and nervous onstage, prefacing the performance by embracing his drummer in just about the most adorable way imaginable.

Through opening number Kobe, Yeo worked the room with dance moves that could only be described as joyful. His pure happiness and energy made him a joy to watch as he jumped around the stage, and although he was managing the demands of guitar, vocals, and production alone, he showed no sign of being nervous. In a live setting, his voice was even more inviting, drawing out the crowd’s best dance moves and loudest cheers.

The funk vibes of VCR Play sent the enthusiasm through the roof just in time for a dramatic lighting change, plunging the room into darkness. Loving the reaction from the crowd, Yeo dropped to the floor and sprung back up, his moves filling an empty track with energy and anticipation. He followed it up with Promise/Secret, the seductive funk ringing of Justin Timberlake’s Pusher Love Girl, and the grit in his voice filling the track with soul.

The funk vibes of VCR Play sent the enthusiasm through the roof just in time for a dramatic lighting change, plunging the room into darkness.

The crowd raised their arms in the air, and Yeo moved so close that it looked like he was about to throw himself over and crowd surf, but he chose instead to play Always Open. “This song’s for everyone who’s ever been fucked over,” he announced to the crowd. “You have to dance, and jump,” he said, and jump he did, creating an infectious energy and a deafening sound.

As the set began to draw to a close, Yeo pulled out his Like A Version cover of Japanese Wallpaper’s Forces, much to the delight of the electro-lingual crowd. He stared vacantly out into the room as the crowd sang along to the verse, allowing the passion to come through in the chorus. As expected, Got No Game made for the ultimate closing number, sending Yeo’s hometown crowd into a singing, dancing frenzy and finishing the final show of an epic tour in the best way possible.

Check out our interview with Yeo HERE

Watch his original Like A Version performance of Forces ft. Airling HERE