Live: The Young Republic // Cargo, London
Assuming that bands progress in the same way people do, the last time I saw The Young Republic, they were going through their awkward teenage years. Having just split from a bunch of their original members, the band were starting to find a new sound, one rather more rooted in Americana as opposed to the upbeat folk pop of the early years. They were good and put on a decent show, but there was still a sense that the band didn’t really have a clear direction.
In the little over a year in between, so much has changed. The Young Republic that takes the stage in Cargo on a Monday night aren’t here to play songs. They are here to rock. The fact the venue isn’t exactly full isn’t going to stop the crowd going right along with them, and the band are happy to reward their enthusiasm. Launching into a set made up mostly from their latest album Balletesque, we get a solid hour of rock and roll that only scratches the surface of their potential.
Much of this confidence comes through front man Julian Saporiti. He’s no longer the slightly awkward (but hugely talented) personality on stage he appeared to be a year ago. A new charisma seems to have appeared about him as he throws himself completely into every song as if his life depended on it. To his right, violinist Kristin Weber is a subtler presence, adding layering to each song. That is until The Alchemist, with it’s full-on violin solo halfway through. The rest of the band utterly still and silent throughout, her violin alone commanding the entire room. Not something you see at gigs everyday.
Then of course there’s the occasional treat thrown in for the older fans. “This is the point where we play a couple of old ones” notes Saporiti, before we realise these aren’t the old songs at all. Sure, at their core they are still Excuses To See You and the wonderful Girl From The Northern States, but they’ve been given the same overhaul the band had. What was folk pop is now Americana, and it’s still just as good.
After an hour, the band say goodnight and head off the stage. The crowd aren’t letting them off so easily though, and the band return for an encore seemingly at a loss for what to play seemingly having used everything in the main set. Shouts for their cover of Dylan’s Isis are shot down by Saporiti pointing out their lack of harmonicas. Eventually they settle on a couple of Beatles covers and most surprisingly of all, the Ghostbusters theme song. Complete with dance moves. It’s a hell of a way to end a gig, but by this point the audience would have let them get away with anything.
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