REVIEW: Tune-Yards put in the Limelight at Fire Station

CREDIT: Lucas Ward

November 27 was a day of firsts for me. Since moving to the city of Sunderland over the summer, I have already heard much about the blossoming live music scene, with The Fire Station always being on the tip of most tongues. Despite this, I had never found the chance to visit the venue. So when tickets became available for Tune-Yards, an indie pop two-piece from across the pond, I suddenly found myself going to this celebrated North East venue for the first time, to see an artist I ashamedly knew little about.

After learning at short notice that I was going to see Tune-Yards, I quickly got myself accustomed with their discography. 2025 has been a busy year for the pair, releasing their sixth studio album Better Dreaming back in May, and an additional complementary EP to it in September. Their music sees inspiration taken from a wide range of cultures and genres, with a host of instruments experimented with. On-stage, Nate Brenner primarily plays the bass, whereas lead vocalist Merrill Garbus takes on a variety of lo-fi percussion, a plugged-in ukulele, and loop pedals. This is a device that has been used by artists for decades, but has most famously been used by Ed Sheeran in the live performance however, he can’t hold a candle to Garbus’ talent.

The support act came in the form of LuxJury, a London based group with just the one single to their name thus far. The promise of a debut album in the first half of 2026 was news I was glad to hear, as they perfectly fit the bill to get the audience excited for the main event. They performed some songs that will likely feature on their first album, including their single Hot Mess and a beautiful song named Orphans that singer Nicole ‘Lux’ Fermie explains was written as a ‘worst case scenario’ for when she came out to her traditional Asian parents. A superb rock cover of R&B classic Waterfalls ensured LuxJury is a sound and voice that I will always be listening out for in the future.

CREDIT: Lucas Ward

When Merrill and Nate walked out onto that stage, you could immediately sense that they had the audience in the palm of their hand. Whilst the latter immediately goes to pick up his bass, the former stands motionless in front of two microphones, a snare drum and a floor tom, as well as a multitude of loop pedals on the floor. She has an electric bass drum pedal. Haunting vocables (wordless vocal sounds) fill the room as they launch into Heartbreak, the first song of the set and the first track from their recent album. This is a sign of things to come as the musical structure builds throughout the song, from the initial vocables to an eventual cacophony of bass, drums and voice, all created through the loop. Garbus isn’t content in leaving it there however, as she whips out a plugged in ukulele for the next song, an instrument often used in their music. The show appears to be an odd mix of finely structured performance, with an improvisational feel to it. This is highlighted when the wrong pedal is pressed at one point and the audience is playfully warned that ‘anything could go wrong tonight’. It’s easy to understand why, as the setup of the stage is immense.

Tune-Yards’ desire for creativity and spontaneity is illustrated a couple of times during the gig, as the audience is encouraged to join in. For the first time of the night, Garbus comes out from behind her percussion caging to interact with the crowd, running laps around their on-stage setup as the chorus of How Big is the Rainbow rings around the Fire Station auditorium. Tune-Yards have garnered a reputation for incorporating a wide variety of inspirations from different genres, and this has never been more clear than when, part way through one of their earliest hits Gangsta, they transitioned into a cover of punk anthem Killing in the Name, much to the surprise and delight of the crowd.

Swarm allows for one of the best uses of a loop pedal you are likely to ever see in a live performance, before Look at Your Hands sees the audience have harmonies forced upon them by the group. Garbus then stops the show to tell the crowd of her hidden allegiance with the North East of England, as she attributes her great sense of rhythm to her childhood following her family around to various folk events, including traditional English country dancing. It’s a wonderful story that unfortunately ends with her connecting this to the city of Newcastle rather than Sunderland, unaware of the local rivalry between the two cities. Nonetheless, she keeps the audience on her side as they go into their final song of the show proper. Bizness, a song that takes much from the afrobeat culture pioneered by artists like Fela Kuti, is performed for the many oppressed people across the world, with Garbus dedicating it to Sudan, Gaza, Congo, Haiti and the US.

CREDIT: Lucas Ward

Tune-Yards exit the stage to rapturous applause, before stomping and chants of ‘encore’ leads to them coming back out and giving the audience what they want, as they close the show with Oh Child and Limelight.

As somebody who knew nothing about Tune-Yards days before this gig, there is no greater praise for their music and performance than my first port of call upon leaving the auditorium was to the merch stand, to buy a vinyl copy of their Better Dreaming album. And when Merrill Garbus came out to greet her fans, I could not resist having a conversation with such incredible musical ability, hoping even a fraction of her talent would be passed on during it. Whilst I have seen no change in my percussive skills, I did come away from the evening with a signed vinyl album, and the memories of a gig that will live for some time.

SETLIST:

Heartbreak

You Yes You

Suspended

How Big is the Rainbow

Gangsta (infusion of Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name)

Water Fountain

Swarm

Look at Your Hands

Never Look Back

Sand Into Stone

Bizness

(ENCORE)

Oh Child

Limelight