LIVE REVIEW: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ The Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

September 11. 2012 | By David Korman

Under the bland orange-yellow bell pepper lighting that visual engineers reserve for less anticipated opening acts, the Brooklyn-based folk punk Clap Your Hands Say Yeah floundered and flopped from song to dreary song to open the Friday evening concert, September 7th.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

Alec Ounsworth’s muddled sleepy vocals droned over dirty, melodic, textured electronics, and each song kind of sounded the same. It excited the crowd immensely that CYHSY played their most famous song, “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth,” in the middle of their 45-minute set; too often these days bands reserve their hits for a planned encore at the end.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

The band was pretty much deadpan until their final song, a rock tune with limited electronics that they eagerly jumped around and bobbed excitedly to, in contrast to their earlier subdued manner. This was the best song of the set, one they actually performed. If the job of these boys is to perform, they really didn’t do it.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Greek Theater, Berkeley 9/7/12

For more shots of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah click here.

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