Live Review: Yeasayer @ Oxegen 2010

When & Where: 2FM/Hot Press Academy Stage on Saturday July 10th @ 21:00.

Following the release of the fantastic Odd Blood in January, Yeasayer were one of the bands I was most looking forward to at Oxegen 2010, and luckily they did not disappoint. The band themselves were in flying form, while the crowd was among the most enthusiastic and excitable I was part of the entire weekend.

Opening with Wait For The Summer, the band tore through the majority of songs from both their debut and their aforementioned sophomore release. The sound was impeccable, except for the overflow from Kasabian on the Main Stage in between tracks, a problem frontman Chris Keating drew attention to. He claimed last time that Amy Winehouse had drowned them out and now it was "some other fucking shit" and that he "loved hearing other music over (their) own fucking sound" The colourful language came directly from the man himself.

This is, however, a problem that MCD may want to address. Yeasayer played in 2008 and 2010 and from the way they were acting I'd be surprised to see them back again. The crowd laughed and joined in the mock booing of the festival, but I can vouch for many there when I say that people were not happy with the set up. We went to see Yeasayer, not Kasabian. I could actually pick out which tracks Serge Pizzorno and co. were performing on the Main Stage when Yeasayer paused in between songs.

However, despite this obvious drawback, the Brooklyn boys ploughed on with what was the most enjoyable set I caught on either Friday or Saturday. To pick out highlights is actually rather difficult as it was all so good. Sunrise, 2080, Rome, Madder Red and O.N.E. were fantastic, while the closer Ambling Alp was stunning. The entire tent erupted in an orgy of dancing and chanting, while the dual drumming and synths of the band sounded better than they ever have in my experience. Even Odd Blood's weaker tracks (in particular Grizelda) took on a new lease of life in the live setting.

The performance was helped by the raw energy of Chris, Ira and Anand. These guys were on flying form, despite their disgust at hearing Kasabian flowing over. Chris launched into an impromptu rendition of Amy Winehouse's rehab before cutting short and letting us know that he "fucking hates that shit. I'm not even joking!" He was also kind enough to instruct the crowd to head back to Dirty Projectors on the Red Bull Stage, catch A-Trak djing in the Dance Arena and to watch "the best fucking act at this damn festival" Hot Chip in the Heineken Green Spheres when they finished.

The only notable omission was Tightrope though I did expect this as it is not on either of the band's albums. A minor complaint in what was otherwise a flawless display of energy and musical brilliance.