Alex Duke reviews Bears In Trees' take on Nottingham's Bodega.
It is testament to the following that Bears In Trees have that fans were queuing outside The Bodega venue long before doors were due to be open. Some standing patiently, some chattering excitedly, all in the queue united by an excitement to see this South London four-piece.
Of course, journalistic privileges allowed myself and my girlfriend Lucy to jump the queue, and it was a tad awkward getting priority over such a devoted queue of fans. Yet, it was a benefit that I was hardly going to turn down.
I went into the concert with an open mind. The band probably most comparable to Bears In Trees that I have seen live, which interestingly Bears In Trees cite as an influence, are The Front Bottoms who put on an impressive show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town back in 2016. Yet, whilst I am certainly not opposed to punk or different variations of it, it is not my go-to-genre. The same cannot be said for Lucy, who could barely contain her excitement as we stood in a near-empty Bodega.
Some time passed and The Bodega began to fill up. And by the time Beetlebug took the stage, there was a buzzing excitement radiating around the venue. Beetlebug was perhaps a polar opposite to the headliners in terms of musical style, but it is a policy that many bands pursue in having an opening artist that completely contrasts their genre. Beetlebug’s music was soft, introspective and driven by intricate acoustic guitar work, and it was well-received by the crowd. A cover of Pure Imagination was perhaps the highlight of their set, as their vocals perfectly suited the melodic Charlie and The Chocolate Factory song.
Bears In Trees have a certain comfort on stage; they play with a real ease, and a rapport with the crowd was crucial to the success of the set
A short time later, it was finally time for the headliner. Bears In Trees instantly received a huge ovation from the crowd before they even started playing, and the set contained the thrashing energy that one would expect from the four piece. Opening with Great Heights, a track off their album and everybody else smiled back, the track set the tone for an energised, pulsating set. Bears In Trees have a certain comfort on stage; they play with a real ease, and a rapport with the crowd was crucial to the success of the set. There were fairly regular stoppages in the set to talk to the Bodega crowd, which really helped endear the audience to the band. I can safely say that I’ve never been to a gig where two band members asked the crowd to divide into two, and get a balloon-like-thingy across the room and back as quickly as possible, with the side of the crowd getting the floaty thing back the quickest winning the race for their band member. It was absolutely bizarre, but also thoroughly enjoyable. Bears In Trees were there to entertain through their music, but also to have fun with the crowd, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
There were a number of highlights across their set. Ibuprofen and Array of Light were particular highlights amongst the middle of the set – and I was really impressed, having not been too exposed to the band before the gig, at how thoughtful and introspective their lyrics were, alongside some intricate harmonies and impressive instrumentation. A cover of As It Was came across well and kept the energy levels high. As the set neared a close, Bears In Trees played one of their most well-known songs, Ramblings Of A Lunatic, which again was played with a thrashing passion symbolic of the whole set. They ended their main set with I’m Doing Push Ups and Reverberate, before coming back on for an encore to play Fresh Concrete, an excellent choice to close with. A micro-criticism would have been that the encore could have been longer, but that is nit-picking at a set that was executed near-flawlessly and enjoyed immeasurably by the audience, highlighting how truly underrated Bears In Trees are. A brilliant concert.
Alex Duke
Edited by: Amrit Virdi
Comments