I have seen Yes Sir Boss play live a total of three times. The first time I watched them was at Shambala 2011, and I had no idea who they were, needless to say, they impressed me so much that I willingly went to go see them play the Blind Tiger in Brighton at some point before Shambala 2012, when I saw them for the third time.
When I saw this album on the list of RAMzine CD reviews, I jumped at the chance to review it due to how bloody brilliant the band is live. Due to the fact that music like this (ska?) usually translates far better in a live environment, it’s probably worth noting that everything about the band live is superb. They’re technically tight and their stage presence and crowd interaction are always main stage festival quality, despite not being put on a main stage.
I was pleasantly surprised when on my first listen through, I recognised a decent amount of the songs from just seeing them live a few times. That’s definitely an impressive sign.
The title track is perhaps the most memorable and a brilliant album opener, starting the album off with real energy. The album’s tempo changes frequently with tracks like Mrs #1 and My My bringing back the nothing short of spontaneous dance inducing pace that tracks like Not Guilty and Never Know offer up.
The mixing and mastering for the entire album is brilliant, each instrument is distinguishable without overpowering any other instruments, or watering down the overall product. Mr Happy is probably the best example of this, with the brass sections making it sound like the band are celebrating your life, through song.
It’s also obvious how brilliantly this entire album is going to come across live, as I mentioned before, they’re an amazing live band and this whole album evokes nothing but festival nostalgia. I can see the warm lights flashing, the people dancing in a cramped tent, the smell of weed, cider and beer mingled with sweat and food.
If you’re into fast paced ska, dancing with your mates at festivals, older Paolo Nutini and Hijak Oscar (particularly in Mrs #1), good music, good atmospheres, parties, life and other such positive things then this album is for you. Even if you’re a miserable grimm cvlt bastard who listens to nothing but Darkthrone and Lord Wind, you should probably listen to this album and cheer up.
