Yard Act

Yard Act brings its razor-edged storytelling to Plymouth Arena in Plymouth on 23 November 2026. Formed in Leeds around vocalist James Smith and bassist Ryan Needham, the quartet has built a lean post-punk frame where the bass leads, the guitars cut short and sharp, and the drums keep a steady, no-frills drive. Smith’s half-spoken delivery carries dry humour and close-up social observation, sketching everyday characters and awkward truths without grandstanding. From the early singles through their debut The Overload in 2022 and the following releases, the band has tightened its writing while keeping the grit in place.

Live, Yard Act plays with tension and release: spoken monologues tipping into chants, grooves that simmer then snap, and lyrics that stay front and centre. The set moves between clipped funk inflections and straight-ahead punk impulses, with a focus on rhythm, space and words that bite at the edges. It’s a show built on economy and detail rather than excess, where each riff and line lands clearly, and where the band’s deadpan wit meets a room ready to move.