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YEAH YEAH YEAH - MTV Artist of the Week

YEAH YEAH YEAH

- Visit the website
Yeah Yeah Yeah's


ARTIST OF THE WEEK

New York trio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs were formed two and a half years ago when singer Karen O and guitarist Nick Zinner decided that a rock n' roll band might be more fun than the folky duo they'd been planning, and their intelligently sleeze-addled, idiosyncratic punked pop has carved a glittering swathe through New York's underground, billing them as the next hip slice of Big Apple Cool.

Karen O met Brian Chase at art school in Ohio, but quit mid-way through and moved to New York enrolling in film school. It was here that she met Nick through a mutual friend, and decided to form a band. Their first project was called "Unitard", but during one night of alcoholic excess they decided to alter their planned musical path and form a grimy, sleazy rock band. Recording three songs on a four track, they then proceeded to go around telling everyone they were the best band in New York!

And it worked - it got them their first show, supporting The White Stripes at Manhatten's Mercury Lounge in the summer of 2000. Their original drummer couldn't make it, so Karen called up Brian and asked him to take the stool.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - named after the babbled phrase beloved of New Yorkers - write sweat-splattered tales of crazed lust and frenzied partying, with tonges planted firmly in their cheeks. And these larger than life tunes are matched by the band's burgeoning iconic status - drummer Brian Chas's geek-chic, Nick's jet black shock, and Miss O's gleeful stage persona and inimitable DIY style, currently being copied by every cool alt-rock fan throughout the US.

They began life as just another Brooklyn band wanting to shake some action in a local scene, but when The Strokes "happened", and Julian Casablancas appeared on US comedy institution "Saturday Night Live" wearing a YYY's pin, all of a sudden everyone wanted a piece of their little band. The media machines fired up, and the ratio between the bands released music - at the time a precious few songs - and the column inches they'd won meant the band had to fight against accusations of being mere hype.

However 2002 made the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs infamous. Their self-titled debut EP got rave reviews on both sides of the pond, and a notorious show at the South By South West in Texas saw a boisterous Karen O trash the backstage area, steal Clinic's onstage surgical wear and knock Courtney Love into a spread of potato salad. Meanwhile, a tour of three continents with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion served to polish the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' rock debauchery skills.

By the time 2003 arrived, the first Yeah Yeah Yeah album titled "Fever To Tell" was one of the most eagerly anticipated debuts of the year, and despite the many cries that they could never live up to the huge expectations, they seem to have pulled it off and impressed even the most cautious critics.

Now about to release their new single "Pin", on June 23rd we feel we should point our MTV viewers towards an up-and-coming talent that really can't be missed.

So leaving the last word to the New Musical Express; " Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs' Karen O is an alien. A champagne-swilling shape-changing, fire-snorting devil chameleon from Planet Catwalk. She's the Ting of frontwomen: every alternative female rock icon absorbed into one amorphous entity....She's your wettest dream and your sweetest nightmare rolled into on - the shyest, sexiest, sassiest and scariest woman alive"

Like them or loathe them, you won't be able to ignore them, and as for whether they really are the material of wet dreams and nightmares - well we'll leave that decision up to you.

HH

previous artists of the week:
50 CENT · AIR · AKON · ALICIA KEYS · AMERIE · Amy Winehouse · ANGELS & AIRWAVES · ANGIE STONE · ARCTIC MONKEYS · ASHANTI · AUDIO BULLYS · AUDIOSLAVE · AVRIL LAVIGNE · B2K · BACKSTREET BOYS · BASEMENT JAXX · BEASTIE BOYS · BECK · BEYONCE KNOWLES · BJORK · BLACK EYED PEAS · BLOC PARTY · BLU CANTRELL · BLUE · BLUR · BRANDY · BRITNEY SPEARS · CHEMICAL BROTHERS · CHINGY · CHRISTINA AGUILERA · CHRISTINA MILIAN · CLOU · COLDPLAY · CRAIG DAVID · CRAZY TOWN · CYPRESS HILL · D12 · DAFT PUNK · DAVID GRAY · DAVID GUETTA · DEPECHE MODE · DIDO · DILATED PEOPLES · DIZZEE RASCAL · DMX · DOVES · EDITORS · ELECTRIC SIX · EMINEM · ENRIQUE IGLESIAS · EVANESCENCE · EVE · FAITHLESS · FALL OUT BOY · FAT JOE · FEEDER · FEFE DOBSON · FERGIE · FOO FIGHTERS · FRANZ FERDINAND · GARBAGE · GOLDFRAPP · GOOD CHARLOTTE · GORILLAZ · GRAHAM COXON · GREEN DAY · GROOVE ARMADA · G UNIT · GWEN STEFANI · GYM CLASS HEROES · HILARY DUFF · HIM · IAN BROWN · INCUBUS · INTERPOL · JACK JOHNSON · JAMIE T · JAMIROQUAI · JANE'S ADDICTION · JANET JACKSON · JA RULE · JAY-Z · JENNIFER LOPEZ · JOSS STONE · JUNIOR SENIOR · JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE · KAISER CHIEFS · KANYE WEST · KASABIAN · KEANE · KELIS · KELLY CLARKSON · KELLY OSBOURNE · KELLY ROWLAND · KINGS OF LEON · KORN · KOSHEEN · KYLIE MINOGUE · LENNY KRAVITZ · LILY ALLEN · LINKIN PARK · LL COOL J · LUDACRIS · MACY GRAY · MADONNA · MANIC STREET PREACHERS · MARILYN MANSON · MAROON 5 · MARY J BLIGE · MEL C · METALLICA · MIKA · MILLIONAIRE · MISSY ELLIOTT · MOBY · MOTLEY CRUE · MS DYNAMITE · MUSE · MYA · MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE · N.E.R.D · NAS · NATALIE IMBRUGLIA · NELLY · NELLY FURTADO · Ne-Yo · Ne-Yo · Nicole Scherzinger · NINE INCH NAILS · NIRVANA · NO DOUBT · OASIS · OBIE TRICE · OK GO · OUTKAST · P.O.D. · PAMELA · P DIDDY · PEACHES · PEARL JAM · PETER BJORN AND JOHN · PHARRELL WILLIAMS · PINK · PLACEBO · PRIMAL SCREAM · PRINCE · QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE · RADIOHEAD · RAZORLIGHT · RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS · REM · RICHARD ASHCROFT · RICKY MARTIN · RIHANNA · ROBBIE WILLIAMS · RONI DUANY · ROYKSOPP · SCISSOR SISTERS · Sean Kingston · SEAN PAUL · Serj Tankian · SHAGGY · SHAKIRA · SIDDHARTA · SIMON WEBBE · SIMPLE PLAN · SMASHING PUMPKINS · SNOW PATROL · SONIC YOUTH · STARSAILOR · STEREOPHONICS · STROKES · SUGABABES · SUPPORT LESBIENS · TATU · THE CALLING · THE CARDIGANS · THE CHARLATANS · THE CURE · THE DANDY WARHOLS · THE DARKNESS · THE DATSUNS · THE FEELING · THE FRATELLIS · THE GAME · THE GOOD, BAD & THE QUEEN · The Hives · THE KILLERS · THE KLAXONS · THE MAGIC NUMBERS · THE MUSIC · THE RAKES · THE RASMUS · THE RAVEONETTES · THE ROOTS · The Spice Girls · THE STREETS · THE THRILLS · THE VINES · THE WHITE STRIPES · THE ZUTONS · TIMBALAND · TOOL · TRAVIS · TWISTA · U2 · USHER · VELVET REVOLVER · WEEZER · WOLFMOTHER · Wu Tang Clan · Wyclef Jean · XZIBIT · YEAH YEAH YEAH · YERBA BUENA · ZWAN ·
 
 
 
15 / 12 / 2007