Music's Not Dead hosting Yak with free instore gig

The much-loved Music's Not Dead will hold a special instore gig in its new pop-up shop inside the De La Warr Pavilion on Saturday February 9.
Presented by Musics Not Dead at the De La Warr PavilionPresented by Musics Not Dead at the De La Warr Pavilion
Presented by Musics Not Dead at the De La Warr Pavilion

Yak will play live in celebration of the launch of new album The Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness.

The gig starts at 5pm in the DLWP cafe bar. The event is free but to guarantee an entry you need to pre-order the album from Music’s Not Dead, either in store or by calling 01424 229123.

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Yak is comprised of Oli Burslem, Vincent Davies and Elliott Rawson, but it is Oli’s odyssey which is at the heart of the new album. Making this second album became all about pursuing his artistic vision pretty much at the cost of everything else, including his own financial security, and mental health.

​“I don’t want it to be a boo-hoo story,” says Burslem, of the record’s tortuous journey. “It was fun doing it. It’s nice to push yourself to the limit, and I can say now that I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks, because it’s a document of that time, and it’s honest and open, and I couldn’t have done or given much more, which is a great feeling.”

The band had released debut album Alas Salvation in May 2016 having signed to Rough Trade management and making several EPs for Jack White’s Third Man Records. Yak then spent the rest of 2016 touring - playing both festivals, including 2016 Glastonbury festival and Reeperbahn Festival, and headlining their own shows.

After a trip to Austrlia and Japan, Oli’s finances were trashed but he ploughed any remaining cash into recording rather than security, and began living in his old Citroen which has no MOT. The band worked for 10 days at RAK recording studio in London and came away with 29 songs, of which 11 ended up on the new album.