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I have enjoyed the thrills of live sounds for years and years.
There’s something magical about the experience of seeing something you
committed to your memory through repeated revolutions on record players
suddenly becoming real for your ears in a building with the minds that made it
there in front of you.
I can remember most of the gigs, shows, sets, concerts – what ever
you wish to call them – that I have attended - not the literal evening but
sensations, snippets, sounds and smells that conjure up a moment or an emotion
that was lodged way in my brain. Fleeting images of my heroes played out in
mind films on the surface of my eyes.
Panda Bear at the Village Underground on Tuesday is now firmly
lodged in the cerebral mass of synapses and connections. I am a fan of Panda
Bear – you all should be a fan of Panda Bear – because there’s a beauty within
those electronic collages that soothes the soul.
For those unaccustomed to Panda Bear – he is actually Noah Lennox –
and one part Animal Collective. I came to Animal Collective after listening to
Panda Bear – not the other way round. I
like Animal Collective but I like Panda Bear more. Each tune he has released
has wrapped itself around my heart and made me smile that little longer – not
that they are all happy tunes mind.
I arrive at the Village Underground a little early. So I head off
for a drink in graffiti covered buildings and hip surroundings. I buy a drink. It costs £5.80. Ridiculous really. I think The Smiths t-shirt I bought at one of
my first concerts cost £5.
Some time the city is out to rip you off.
Panda Bear is playing in East London tonight – but this is no rip
off – this is not a rock n roll swindle. And this is his one date in the city as he
waltzes through Europe and beyond. There is only one day to spend with this
homie. Not even a day – it’s only a night.
But I’m glad I spent it with you.
Proceedings begin with Maria Reis who produces sounds that are both
haunting and jaunty – there’s a popness to her MBV meets Eno tunes. The crowd are warm in their appreciation and
the cavernous building - with it’s bar
on the side making it difficult to see the stage - feels intimate as she plays to the swelling
numbers.
And then we wait for PB. I
have managed to find a spot way down the front about two bodies back and to the
right of the stage. The crowd is hip and youthful – but I don’t care - I am an
old man taking space from the youth. I dig this too.
I wait for the arrival of Noah.
At 9.30 the lights dim and Panda Bear enters the room – he takes off his
coat- keeps on his hoodie - picks up the microphone and begins to create sonic
alchemy. Tonight’s ‘show’ and to be fair it is a ‘show’ is full of repetitive
visuals and strobed lights and screens there to add and support the wonderful
sounds of the Bear’s workbench. I’m
intrigued by the workbench – it looks cobbled together with MDF to hold
instruments that shake the very soul. Noah works this table of instruments(?)
throughout the set – sounds blending and growing from his array of special
units and keys – drones become fragments of songs and layers of sound build
upon each other into this beautiful digital cacophony offset with sweet
harmonies and honest feelings.
To be honest it’s hard making out what I’m listening to – I never
got hold of the last vinyl only ‘A Day with the Homies’ but I guess this is
what I’m listening to interspersed with songs from when he took on the Grim
Reaper and won. There’s a few older ones too all presented with a backdrop of a
pulsating dancing woman in garish make up and flowing dresses. It’s a trip
maaaaaaan. A real mind bending trip. But the audience are here for the ride –
there’s a group behind me bellowing the words and dancing with wild abandon –
we are here to worship at Lennox’s sonic altar – we are his disciples – which
is apt because it’s just after Easter that he walks amongst us.
The night develops through each sample and repetitive drone with the
Panda adding vocals as loops become recognizable tunes - it’s hard to know where to clap – so I just
grin throughout. The new tunes are harder in terms of beats – there’s elements
of hip hop, drum and bass and the inevitable dubstep – but it doesn’t feel
bandwagon jumping more an evolving landscape of sound that Panda Bear inhabits. The set consisted of this according to setlist.com
Dolphin (New Song)
Flight
Boys Latin
I Know I Don't (New Song)
Part of the Math
Cosplay (No Outro)
Cranked (New Song)
Shepard Tone
Crosswords
Home Free (New Song)
Selfish Gene
Cosplay Demo (Outro)
The end of the set before the encore slowly built into a huge
pulsating bass drone with vomiting visuals and strobes. It was heavy work. But
there’s absolute heavy soul in his squelching
electronic psychedelia.
Lennox is not a dance musician - but we sway in unison at times to his
kinetic rhythms and futuroid B(each) Boy singing – because after all his voice remains his secret weapon. It’s
what everything hangs on –and follows this incredible set with an encore of three incredible works
- Sabbath (New Song), Crescendo (New Song) and finally Sunset with each
one getting better than the last. We are
uplifted and dancing – and then he is gone.
Coat on and out the building – well probably not - but I want to
afford him some rock star status – not that he is that at all but he deserves
to held up a little higher than he is. It’s hard to find music that resonates
and connects in this digital forever streaming age and Panda Bear is making
incredible tunes that will stand up and be re -evaluated in future years.
I’m glad Panda Bear played at the Village Underground and you will be
glad next time he plays – because you’ll be there too.
Here's a Part of the Math from France - I can't find any videos from London - but you get the idea.
