“So many of my favourite older bands, more classic bands and also newer bands are from or based in Melbourne.”
Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, fueled by anecdotes, flips through the band’s sonic photo album while anticipating the band’s long-awaited comeback at Splendour in the Grass and a Melbourne side show.
In the twenty years since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their debut album Fever to Tell, the Alternative/Indie-Rock trio has gathered guitar strings and microphone chords, successfully tying together the past, present and future. Their radical live performances from day dot in the early 2000s highlighted a bold and progressive approach to their artistry.
Two decades later and their latest studio album, Cool It Down, features the synths of my (fever) dreams and draws attention to an epochal antithesis referencing psychedelic rock of the 70s and 80s.
With their fifth studio album, Cool It Down, having been released in September of last year, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been touring the US for the past six weeks. Guitarist Nick Zinner cautiously, yet confidently, recognises it as their “best tour ever”. Zinner notes that the “response, energy, feeling and experience” of the tour is something he doesn’t remember being “so powerful” in previous years.
The recent exploration of the tracks off Cool It Down in a live setting has also left a mark on Zinner, holding a certain significance for him. A juxtaposition is noted between playing older and newer songs with the more recent tracks triggering recent memories of “being in my house and Karen and I just fuckin around”, while their older songs are simply “part of [their] DNA.”
Regardless of the song, however, Zinner notes that he doesn’t take it for granted when he sees audience members singing along at a show – an occurrence one may think would have lost its novelty to such an accomplished performer.
Similarly to the band’s definitive songs including Maps and Heads Will Roll, photographs have a similar effect on Zinner. Being an accomplished photographer – or “semi-accomplished” as he corrects – Zinner once again leans into the passing of time and cherishes his images of the band as a mode for “time travel” back to major moments throughout his career and life.
Looking to the future, this July marks the first time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will have played the festival since 2006, despite being on the bill in both 2020 and 2022. It’s been a long time coming and it seems that the band is just as eager as we are for their performance.
“We’re so happy that we can finally get back because it’s been so long and Australia’s always been one of our favourite places to play and be in,” Zinner divulges.
With Covid having interfered with the band’s 2020 appearance at the festival, Zinner has observed the world letting its shoulders down with a loud exhale when it comes to the pandemic. He notes that while there is certainly a sense of ‘everything is great’ “it still doesn’t really feel that way.” This observation is followed up by Zinner highlighting his gratitude for playing the festival and recognising it as “another thing we don’t take for granted.”
While looking forward to their set at Splendour, Zinner marries the future and the past once more by joyfully reflecting on the last time the band played the festival. He recollects jumping into the front row after their 2006 set and “fanning out” to Sonic Youth.
Alongside the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ set at Splendour in the Grass, they will also be headlining side-shows in both Sydney and Melbourne, accompanied by rock band Automatic. Zinner proudly hypes up Automatic as “one of [his] favourite bands from LA” and vocalises that he is “really psyched” the trio will be joining the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for these shows.
Zinner is forthright about his fondness for Melbourne, and more specifically his adoration for the bands who have emerged from our city. Despite having to cancel the band’s appearance at last year’s Splendour in the Grass, Zinner still took the opportunity to come to Melbourne and flick his way through the record stores with his father.
“So many of my favourite older bands, more classic bands and also newer bands are from or based in Melbourne,” Zinner notes.
A warm remark that feels comparable to inviting a friend over for dinner and discovering they love the family recipe: you know it’s a great recipe and everyone else in the family does too, but discovering another’s love for it is a welcome surprise.
Even more surprising is Zinner’s championing of Melbourne rock, despite his general lack of enthusiasm towards the broader genre. He doesn’t shy away from revealing his indifference, putting it simply, “I don’t really listen to that much rock music, because I find most of it not too exciting, but it’s not true for Melbourne…there’s so much exciting rock music that’s been consistently coming from there over the last decade or so.” Zinner names Constant Mongrel and Amyl and the Sniffers among those bands who have piqued his interest over the years.
When discussing what Zinner hopes the audience take away from a Yeah Yeah Yeahs show, he dives back into the archives – this time to only a few weeks ago. Zinner recounts going to see The Cure recently, with the show having such a positive impact on him he “felt great for like five days after.”
Talking with a friend who had a similar experience at the same show, Zinner emphasises that he wants that feeling for their audience. “I hope it’s an experience that stays with you as much as it stays with us and just makes you feel good about yourself and the world for a little bit of time until…well, I’ll just stop there,” Zinner concludes chuckling.
Nick Zinner insists that his “memory is shot”, but I’m not so sure about that. His honest expression and proclivity for a trip down memory lane make the band’s next steps all the more exciting.
YEAH YEAH YEAHS – SITG MELBOURNE SIDESHOW
WHEN: JULY 20
WHERE: MCA
