Even after the successful release of a third studio album and an unthinkable collaboration with one of the biggest British stars of all time, James Smith and his bandmates have strived to stay humble.
Despite their efforts, Leeds-based Yard Act is known across the United Kingdom and, if its current tour is any indication, the group is rapidly gaining steam in the United States, too.
Promoting the latest album, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music, Yard Act blew the lid off Black Cat in Washington DC this past Friday night, absolutely thrilling a packed audience that had formed a long line outside in the rain well before the doors opened.
Some were calling the band’s August 14 visit one of the best shows they’d seen so far this year, and no one could disagree.
Defined by Smith’s raving, politically charged lyrics and the edgy, coaxing blast of guitarist Sam Shipstone, Yard Act impressed from start to finish in showcasing tracks from across the band’s trio of studio records, including a good chunk of the new album, an Island Records release that arrived just last month.
Listen to the most recent studio album from Yard Act, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music, via Spotify:
Smith was flanked in DC by his co-founder, bassist Ryan Needham, and to the rear of the stage were drummer Jay Russell and multi-instrumentalist Chris Duffin, who tours with the group.
The band leader strutted around, drink in hand, and by way of his words, he shed light on the band’s blue-collar origins and enlivened some of the most popular Yard Act tunes, like Rich, an anti-capitalism diatribe from 2022’s The Overload. The night’s opener in DC popped, loosening up and putting a grin on faces of the audience early in the set.
The band blends pop and punk sounds that speed up and amplify, becoming sassy like funk and playful like disco. All the while, Smith colors each track with honest commentary, calling it as he and his crew see it. Cherophobe Rock, from the new album, was its own kind of groovy with Smith belting over the top before the whole squad joined in for the chorus.
Smith messed with what looked like a CB radio mic and later held some kind of sound effects pedal. His glasses were fogged up with condensation most of the show, but there was no mistaking his fervor and that of his mates.
Watch this official music video for Yard Act’s “Empty Pledges” via the band’s YouTube channel:
Shipstone, with his glorious walrus mustache, stole the show at times, shimmying and hopping with his G&L Asat Classic and captivating everyone who could see him. He supercharged several tunes, including an intoxicating take on “Dead Horse” and a blaring version of “Dark Days,” from the premier Yard Act EP. At one point, Shipstone let loose for an unknown jam as Smith stood back and watched along with the rest of the room.
The night had gotten off to a wild start: the opening act, a Detroit-born collective known as The Armed, saw one of its lead vocalists — whose name cannot be confirmed, perhaps by design — fall head-first into a speaker on the Black Cat stage while crowd surfing. Blood could be seen on the singer and even on members of the audience.
Smith took it upon himself about halfway through Yard Act’s set to collect donations for what he said was inevitably going to be a costly ambulance trip for the wounded supporting artist. Cash — fives, tens, even twenties — were handed over and tucked away for the cause.
As hoped, those on hand this past Friday night eventually heard Yard Act’s “100% Endurance,” a hit from The Overload that was recently re-released as a collaboration with none other than Sir Elton John himself, proof of the band’s fast rise since forming in 2019.
Listen to the re-released version of Yard Act’s “100% Endurance,” a collaboration with Elton John:
But closing with a song that could be on its way to being just as known, Yard Act served up an anthemic version of the new album’s title track, drawing a long applause and cheers that lasted long after they’d departed. But then returning to encore with their 2023 single, “The Trench Coat Museum,” Smith and company put a smashing cap on an unforgettable night.
Yard Act Setlist
Rich
Cherophobe Rock
Down by the Stream
Empty Pledges
Dead Horse
We Make Hits
Thrill of the Chase
Janey Said
Land of the Blind
Tall Tales
Dark Days
When the Laughter Stops
Fiction
Tall Poppies
100% Endurance
You’re Gonna Need a Little Music
Encore
The Trench Coat Museum
Below are digital shots of Yard Act along with the night’s opening act, The Armed, performing at Black Cat in Washington DC, on the night of August 14, 2026. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Yard Act
The Armed
