Charlie Pinhey
Music journalist & online sub-editor for CLUNK Magazine based in Bristol. Fumbling around on social media trying to tell people about my interviews and reviews. Follow me @charvawritesstuff
Yuuf bring their warm and sunny sound to Bristol’s Jam Jar for a taste of their new EP ‘Alma’s Cove,’ out on 20th June
There are loads of bands out there whose work will often be described as ‘warm’ or ‘bright’, but not all are able to translate that same warmth or brightness to the stage. Somewhere along the way it can get watered down.
Yuuf, however, have an unadulterated sunny disposition both on their records and live, as I discovered on Tuesday. So much so that the muggy heat of that afternoon became a distant memory once inside The Jam Jar. Lead guitarist Hugo Cottu swooshed and sauntered around the aquatic-attic themed stage.
His fingers danced up and down his fretboard for their opener ‘Calzaghe‘, the third track from Yuuf’s 2024 EP ‘In The Sun‘. The reverberated slides of ‘Calzaghe‘’s returning hook blasted out of Cottu’s guitar whilst the rest of the band locked in for the understated rhythm section, an ingredient that would be used often for other songs later in the set.
Watching Yuuf play ‘Silky Spring‘, their most played track, was a particular highlight. It’s a track that evokes imagery of mountainous landscapes set against a sunny backdrop and shimmering ocean tides. Live, that imagery was heightened with the stage lit with a comforting orange hue as other lights danced against The Jam Jar’s hanging glass menagerie to give an oceanic effect.
One of Yuuf’s major collective strengths was their ability to guide the audience through Cottu’s searing solos to their slower stuff. The changes in tone and pace throughout their set were so impactful thanks to Andrin Haag’s handpan who allowed the metallic notes to hang for a moment longer to sleepily penetrate the audience’s subconscious.
The result was a blissful set punctuated with an impromptu ‘advert break’, where drummer Oliver Overggaard plugged their ‘Live In The Sun’ record with the band playing some funky muzak over the top. Like their tracks, it was inventive, funky and light-hearted.
Listen to Yuuf here: