A Beautiful Display Of Friendship: Yannis And The Yaw – ‘Lagos Paris London’ Review

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Whilst the name Yannis & The Yaw is new, ‘Lagos Paris London’ stems from Foals
frontman Yannis Philippakis’ sessions in 2016 with the great Tony Allen. Although the
recordings were not completed during this time, Yannis revisited the project after Tony’s
death in 2020, determined to complete the music and remember Tony’s life and love for
music.

Though only five tracks, this EP packs a huge punch and instantly transports you into the
jam sessions in the Paris studio where the songs were created. The songs as a whole really show the raw talent of everyone in the studio as they are essentially music in its purest form and rely on innate musicality. The impact of Tony’s work is instantly noticeable particularly in the opening track ‘Walk Through Fire’ which has a distinctive Afrobeat sound. Yannis’ contribution is in no way lost and although he provided the vocals for the songs, the songs do not feel like he is just a feature as there is an obvious stamp of the Foals guitar sound throughout the record. Despite these songs now being completed, there are still reminders throughout that they began as improvisations, especially in ‘Night Green, Heavy Love ’, where the vocals start a little way into the song and at the approximate halfway point there is a more stripped back guitar led section which makes a comeback towards the end of the track. Potentially the most indie sounding part of the record is the final track, ‘Clementine’ which features a more structured verse and chorus and could easily have fit into Foals’ most recent album ‘Life Is Yours’, though this could just be due to Yannis’ vocals being so recognisable with this type of sound. ‘Clementine’ feels much lighter than the previous songs on the EP but is in no way less complex rhythmically, making it the perfect way to close this body of work.

‘Lagos Paris London’ beautifully displays the friendship and working relationship between
Yannis and Tony in just five tracks and proves that despite their differences in genres, location and age are a match made in heaven when collaborating. After experiencing this
project and Yannis’ 2018 ‘MILK’ events, it’s safe to say improvisation and technique remain
the best way to see musicians at their most unfiltered and although this particular project has
come to an end, it will be interesting to see what Yannis creates with other artists in the
future and how ‘The Yaw’ translates to an audience at their upcoming shows in September.