Photo by Mike Brabant

Does a live band have a responsibility to its audience? Should they merely play their songs well or should they interact with the crowd? Joy Division was known for their blazing musicianship as much as their silence while outfits like Blink-182 have a reputation for being simultaneously sloppy and engaging. Some acts deliver the best of both worlds. Whatever the case, the golden rule is to never be boring, and unfortunately, that’s the category that Yuck fell into for most of Monday night’s set at the Double Door.

Distorted ’90s nostalgia cuts like “The Wall” and “Milkshake” sounded great, but the band hardly moved or even looked at each other. Although one could argue that this was their intent, frontman Daniel Blumberg’s mopey trudges to the microphone and bassist Mariko Doi’s bang-blocked head lulls felt more out of boredom than artistic choice.

Photo by Mike Brabant

Closers “Operation” (courtesy of lead guitarist/vocalist Max Bloom, who had the most compelling stage presence of the evening) and shoegaze crescendo “Rubber” finally saw the London outfit thrashing and riffing off of each other, but sarcastic stage banter and the absence of an encore drove home the fact that despite releasing one of the stronger albums of the year, Yuck just doesn’t seem to care.

Setlist:
The Base of the Dream Is Empty
Holing Out
The Wall
Shook Down
Georgia
Suicide Policeman
Milkshake
Get Away
Soothe Me
Suck
Operation
Rubber