There are certain people who seem to radiate a type of joy that comes from something deeper, more frequency-changing than simply stage presence: Dolly Parton, for instance, or Beyoncé. In the indie sphere, meanwhile, there’s no-one more luminous than Karen O. The unequivocal coolest woman of her generation (and most others), since the birth of Yeah Yeah Yeahs as part of New York’s blistering, turn-of-the-century indie boom, she’s been the technicolour beating heart of the band. Nick Zinner, with his gothic frame and shock of black hair, wrangles his guitar; Brian Chase smashes the cans at the back. But Karen is the unicorn at the centre: your favourite mad art teacher gone punk; a frontwoman as beloved for her taste in sparkly capes as she was for previously, regularly deep-throating her microphone.
