Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Demand Your Applause

You’ve always got to be careful who you ask for directions because suddenly you’re putting your arrival in someone else’s hands. Will they try and have you over by callously sending you off in the wrong direction? Or will they do the noble thing and give you helping hand to cross the road? Luckily for Gigwise, the taxi driver at the nearest kerb is all too happy to assist us in our quest to find tonight’s rather well hidden ‘secret’ location. “Yeah, just up that way mate!” And so, with that detailed route ingrained into our memory, we do just that.

London’s can be an intimidating place, and as the back streets shrink down to a squeeze – like a cashmere jumper fresh out of the wash – this evening is no different. Welcome to the London’s Soho, where the florescence of the surrounding neon signs looks dim in comparison to the streets fascinating inhabitants. After finding the venue for tonight’s ‘secret’ gig – which is the launch party for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s sophomore album, ‘Some Loud Thunder,’ Gigwise is greeted by a contingent of Drag Queens - dressed from top to toe (or rather, strategic places in between) in striking burlesque attire -  all pouting for a photo shoot. In fact, if it wasn’t for the band’s roadies, who were busy setting up the petit stage, you’d have thought CYHSY was the new name for a rather sinister couture club night, as opposed to the band name of one of this century’s most encouraging success stories.

Luckily, it’s not long before Tyler Sargent, the band’s timid bassist appears and causes a welcome distraction. Feeling decidedly underdressed we head for a quiet dose of reality in a nearby café.

Ironically, reality’s not a word you’d use to describe the meteoric rise to fame of American band CYHSY either. Just over two years ago they were a new band like any other - still undiscovered, unsigned and as far a way from the media spotlight as a z-list celebrity. Then, not for the first time in recent years, the internet took hold. Within days CYHSY became one of the most talked about bands in music blogs across the world. It was a formidable, life changing event - although listening to Tyler talk about it, you wouldn’t think so. “It’s not something that we found remarkable at first (he laughs). We just did it ourselves thinking eventually we would get a label,” he continues. “We just said let’s just do this on the internet and then we really started to do well, and all of a sudden it just kind of worked out and kind of became a big story.”

‘A big story,’ is a big understatement. After generating copious levels of internet buzz, the band released their self-titled debut album independently via their website in the summer of 2005 - with all copies being burned in Tyler’s Park Slope apartment. When a run of 2,000 suddenly became 10,000 even the band couldn’t hide from what was happening. Eventually they shifted 40,000 copies of the album using their own manpower. The might of the corporate empire appeared powerless in comparison.