Yndi Halda w/Shady Bard – The Lexington, London 15/07/2011

It’s not often that one gets the opportunity to praise not one, but TWO British bands in the same review. With our nation’s tendency to churn out quavery-voiced folksters, derivative indie-rockers and Shoreditch oxygen-wasters with depressing regularity, it’s a delight to be able to wax lyrical about two UK acts who buck the trend by being really rather good.

Birmingham six-piece Shady Bard are purveyors of luscious orchestral post-rock; a beguiling brew of French horn, trumpet, strings and piano that at turns delights with its subtlety, and rouses with its grandeur. Drawing mostly from their most recent release ‘Trials’, a concept album inspired by the 2007 forest fires in Greece, they display an intellectual and emotional complexity rare amongst their peers, and although the vocals don’t always live up to the ambition of the instrumentation, it’s always heartening to hear a band that uses orchestration as an integral part of the music, rather than a mask for sloppy or formulaic song-writing.

As for headliners Yndi Halda, well, one could go so far as to say they’re one of the most scintillating post-rock acts in the world right now. More melodic and intricate than many of their contemporaries who focus unduly on cacophonous pay-offs at the expense of satisfying build-ups, every minute of their tragically brief set was an pleasure to behold. They’re the band Hope of the States could and should have been; delivering epic, raw instrumentals providing visceral, rafter-shaking thrills without skimping on depth or beauty.

Certainly, it’s an absolute mystery why they aren’t headlining venues ten times this size; they’re just as, if not more, of a captivating live experience as Explosions In The Sky or Mogwai. There’s not many bands today that truly leave you wanting more, but Yndi Halda are one of those rare birds; a welcome reminder that there’s still hope for Britain’s music scene yet.