Arriving with a cheer, he sports his signature overcoat, a cheeky smirk, and an abundance of egotistical attitude. Ultimately a showman, Smith thrusts his mic around the stage with a theatrical flair before launching into fan favourite ‘Dark Days’.

From their tight sound, cult following and striking ease on stage you’d never guess that Yard Act only formed before the pandemic. From their high energy, personality-packed performance it’s easy to see how this band have made such a quick ascent to the top. Their punchy guitar lines, catchy hooks, and a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek commentary on modern-day Britain remains fresh and exciting, proving with no doubt that spoken word post-punk is very much alive and well.

It’s not often you see someone crowd surfing four songs in, but that’s the kind of energy Yard Act bring. From the anthemic crowd favourite ‘Fixer Upper’ to the beautifully poetic ‘Tall Poppies’, Yard Act boast enough talent and charisma to keep the crowd just as engaged during a three-minute spoken word breakdown as during an upbeat chorus. Ever demanding more and more from the crowd, Smith shouts: “London this isn’t good enough. This is a Thursday night! We can change the world with a show.”

Continually baiting the crowd, Smith gives a high-energy performance with plenty of laughs thrown in, giving everything that’s needed to take the show from a standard Thursday night gig to a memorable night out. Closing with crowd picks ‘Human Sacrifice’, ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Trapper’s Pelts’, the band end the night on a high. A thundering start to their UK tour, Yard Act deliver a stellar performance from start to finish, truly cementing themselves as one of the most exciting live acts around.