Grizzly Bear: the spirit of Prog

I've a backlog of live reviews that are yet to go up on The Fly's website. The advantage of posting content online is the immediacy with which it can reach people, but I supppose everything has to be vetted by busy editors. Anyway, since no-one reads this vanity site, it's OK for me to post the pieces here in the meantime.

This is the latest review, of last weekend's Grizzly Bear show.  My girlfriend had a ticket for this, so I covered it as a way of accompanying her. She describes the concert as the best thing she's ever seen, but I wouldn't go that far. It was good though, just lacking in any sense of spontaneity or real excitement. It was almost like prog rock in places, which surprised me coming from such a hip band. It's as if punk never happened. Ultimately, I enjoyed it but didn't have much of an opinion of the night, hence my stalling for time intro.

Finally, this was the third time I've seen Ireland's Villagers perform as a support act. Still the most utterly risible and pretentious lyricist I've ever encountered.

 

Grizzly Bear

The Barrowlands, Glasgow

20/10/12

The Fly is pulled aside to undergo a routine bag inspection immediately upon arrival at The Barrowlands. After some vigorous rummaging, a sealed pack of moth balls and bottle of Vicks Nasal Spray are uncovered. The security man holds them aloft with an inquisitive look on his face, before wearily concluding “At least you're not a fucking hipster.” What does he mean by this? We head upstairs to find out and are greeted by only a modest number of ironic moustaches and 90s Hip Hop t-shirts. People of all demographics have shown up and the atmosphere couldn't be more pleasant.

If the world is intent on proclaiming Grizzly Bear the quintessential hipster band, it's mainly because they're based in glamorous Brooklyn. It helps that their records sound slightly clinical and detached of course, but to suggest that the group make anything besides creative, accessible pop music is a bit of a stretch. Tonight's performance is that of a combo whose avant garde edges and wilful eclecticism are indications of increasing confidence and artistic maturity, rather than nods to prevailing trends.

Lifted from this year's Shields album, opener 'Speak in Rounds' is played with a forceful dub undertone and stuttering sense of momentum. The following 'Sleeping Ute', an already ragged slice of folk rock, is stripped of electronic embellishment to emphasise its rootsy core. When things are eventually slowed down as on 'Foreground', the band's hold on the audience becomes apparent. Their playing is hypnotic even when they shy away from overtly complex arrangements. The fact that fan favourite 'Two Weeks', requested many throughout the show, survives its own hype is testament to the substantial nature of their songs. In fact, it's a stunning acoustic take on 'All We Ask' that illustrates the full extent of the Grizzlies' versatility and proves that less is often more with these restless musos.

Lewis Porteous