Legendary singer Sir Elton John has teamed up with the acclaimed Leeds, U.K. group Yard Act for the band’s latest single, a new version of their hit, “100% Endurance.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Yard Act’s front person James Smith said of the collaboration, “Within our camp we have a saying: ‘Mad shit happens when you do art’—it means what it means. You make stuff because you want to make it, and you throw stuff you’ve made into the world because you’d rather share it than not and then you leave it alone and let it do its thing. That thing you did can take you to places you didn’t intend to go with it, but it’s out of your control really. You have no control over the mad shit. It just happens (when you do art).
“Elton John saw our stuff and he started telling the press he thought we were good and then we chatted on the phone and after a few calls, I said, ‘Elton, do you want to come to the studio and play piano on a tune?’ because fuck it, it doesn’t matter if he says no. Anyway, he said ‘yes’, so it doesn’t matter that he didn’t say no. I don’t know what else to say. He’s brilliant. Switched on, hilarious and an amazing musician.”
Smith added, “He [Elton] started out as a session player and after he’d laid down the piano and laid down the vocals, taking direction from us and trying everything we asked. He said something very poignant to me—‘I love playing on other people’s songs, especially these guys, because I started off as a session musician. The fascinating thing is you hear things so differently from other people, and when you hear what they hear, then it all makes sense.’
“That insight, that curiosity and that approach to music is the reason he’s still standing (after all this time). Elton is a diamond. It was an honour to collaborate with him. My mum is showing off to all her mates and mad shit happens when you do art.”
The original version of “100% Endurance,” which was the latest single lifted from The Overload, which charted at No. 2 and was officially the biggest selling vinyl debut of the century earlier this year, came accompanied by a video directed by longtime collaborator James Slater.
The video stars multi-award winning actor and fan of the band, David Thewlis, who said of the experience, “I’ve told my agent I’m only doing Yard Act videos from now on, though next time on a tropical island or a big yacht.” Watch the video HERE.
Yard Act recently announced their biggest headline show to date at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on December 1st, following an entirely sold out tour in February and March this year, and recent shows supporting Jack White. The band was recently awarded the Grulke Prize for Developing Non-US Act at SXSW this year, playing no less than 10 completely sold out shows at the festival. They also made their US television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Check out the new euphoric song, the tracklist for the band’s new album, The Overload (which is out now), and upcoming tour dates below.
Tracklist
1. The Overload
2. Dead Horse
3. Payday
4. Rich
5. The Incident
6. Witness (Can I Get A?)
7. Land Of The Blind
8. Quarantine The Sticks
9. Tall Poppies
10. Pour Another
11. 100% Endurance
See Yard Act live in 2022:
1 Jul | AFAS, Amsterdam, NL*
15 Jul | Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival, UK
22 Jul | Truck Festival, Oxford, UK
22 Jul | Standon Calling Festival, Hertfordshire, UK
23 Jul | Bluedot Festival, Cheshire, UK
24 Jul | Tramlines, Sheffield, UK
27 Jul | The Cluny, Newcastle, UK SOLD OUT
28 Jul | The Caves, Edinburgh, UK SOLD OUT
29 Jul | Deer Shed, Thirsk UK
30 Jul | Ynot Festival, Derbyshire, UK
5 Aug | Ypsigrock Festival, Castelbuono, IT
7 Aug | Off Festival, Katowice, PL
11 Aug | Haldern Pop Festival, Rees-Haldern, DE
12 Aug | Way Out West Festival, Gothenburg, SE
13 Aug | Oya Festival, Oslo, NO
18 Aug | Route du Rock Festival, St Malo, FR
19 Aug | Cabaret Vert Festival, Charleville-Mézières, FR
20 Aug | Pukkelpop Festival, Hasselt, BE
21 Aug | Lowlands Festival, Biddinghuizen, NL
26 Aug | Golden Leaves Festival, Darmstadt, DE
28 Aug | Todays Festival, Turin, IT
4 Sep | End Of The Road Festival, Dorset, UK
9 Sep | Andalucía Big Festival, Andalucía, ES
10 Sep | Mad Cool Sunset, Madrid, ES
16 Sep | The Bullingdon, Oxford, UK – SOLD OUT
17 Sep | Esquires, Bedford, UK – SOLD OUT
18 Sep | O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK – SOLD OUT
21 Sep | Sugar Mill, Stoke, UK – SOLD OUT
22 Sep | The Crescent, York, UK – SOLD OUT
23 Sep | Polar Bear, Hull, UK – SOLD OUT
6 Oct | Crocodile, Seattle, US
7 Oct | WOW Hall, Eugene, US
9 Oct | Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, US
11 Oct | Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles, US
13 Oct | Black Cat Washington D.C
14 Oct | Bowery Ballroom, New York, US
16 Oct | Underground Arts, Philadelphia, US
22 Nov | Saint Luke’s, Glasgow, UK
23 Nov | NUSU, Newcastle, UK
24 Nov | O2 Academy, Leeds, UK
25 Nov | O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
26 Nov | Marble Factory, Bristol, UK
27 Nov | Tramshed, Cardiff, UK
29 Nov | 1865, Southampton, UK
30 Nov | Chalk, Brighton, UK – SOLD OUT
1 Dec | O2 Kentish Town Forum, London, UK
Photo courtesy Hive Mind PR
