The Yards

You might recognize the voice of The Yards before you find out who they are. Chris Helme served his rock'n'roll apprenticeship as frontman with John Squire's post-Stone Roses combo The Seahorses, alongside Stuart Fletcher on bass. In 2002, Chris and Stuart formed The Yards, along with drummer John Miller and keyboard player Jon Hargreaves. Shortly afterwards guitarist, Chris Farrell joined to complete the line-up.
In 2004 they released the The Devil Is Alive And Well And In D.C. EP on their own Industrial Erotica label. Produced by Head (PJ Harvey, Kathryn Williams), the EP sold out in the UK as well as in Japan where it was released on the Wizzard-In-Vinyl label. Meanwhile their live gigs continued to grow in size and repute, as headline tours, festival appearances and support tours with the legendary Love featuring Arthur Lee, followed. Carling Live magazine described the Yards live show as "drenched in the sleaze of the Velvet Underground, the sheer songwriting magnificence of Buffalo Springfield and the balls-out attitude of The Stooges".
Finally, in April 2005 the band released their debut album, The Yards , again on their own Industrial Erotica label but this time licensed through Snapper Music . The album was a diverse and dynamic showcase for Chris' way with a melody and the band's love of classic songwriting. The Sun claimed "The Yards sound somewhere in between Queens of the Stone Age and The Who" while Q said it "recalls prime 80's REM". Maxim said it was "blessed with searing, mammoth-sized choruses" and Uncut described it as a "rocking debut".
Since the release of the album, The Yards' music has featured on live radio sessions for, amongst others, Janice Long and Mark Riley and on the soundtrack of Channel 4 program Teachers, while the singles Forget Your Regrets , Only Myself To Blame and the download only The Devil Is Alive and Well.... could be heard on Radio 1 and Radio 2.
Currently writing and demoing for the second album, their new material builds the bridges between their diverse influences and proves that behind the biting rock and all-out passion, there also lies a heady mix of melody, and heart-tugging romanticism in The Yards' music which continues to provide plenty for fans of classic honest songwriting to enjoy.