We spoke with James Smith - witty lyricist and frontman of the Leeds post-punk band Yard Act. James chatted about using humour to bring up tough stuff, losing a close mate and why the trench coat’s coming off and some raw emotions are on the table for their latest album.
Yard Act gained momentum during the pandemic, catching themselves and the UK off guard with their sharp rise to success, hitting number two in the album charts and selling out shows across the country.
The band’s songs centre around the spoken word of trench coat-clad James Smith, cultural critiques and hooky guitar riffs. Their brilliant debut album The Overload was heralded for its social observations, picking apart the everyday and conjuring up vivid characters like the local football hero in “Tall Poppies” or proud two-homeowner Graham in “Fixer Upper”. The band not only captures the funny bits of life, they also capture the difficult parts.