Bear In Heaven – The Freebutt, Brighton – 21/4/10
4/5
By: Keri Kennedy
There’s been a fair amount of hype in the UK surrounding the Bear In Heaven camp in recent weeks, the majority of which from a certain 6Music, who bestowed upon the group ‘album of the day’ status, as well as granting them a session on the Steve Lamacq show.
It’s surprising to find then that this tiny Freebutt show isn’t sold out, but the intimate setting is soon filled with the cinematic, cascading dream-pop of their recent album Beast Rest Forth Mouth. The sound and production is spectacular, BIH sound exactly like on record – which is a good thing in this case – ‘Beast In Peace’ thunders, crashes and builds up to a crescendo of echoing vocals and cymbals that completely envelop, climbing in to your skull.
‘Lovesick Teenagers’ synths and pounding drums again build up in layers of cinemascope-size sound, Jon Philpott’s vocals sounding like they’re undergoing at least a quadruple overdub, before it all comes to an abrupt halt. ‘Wholehearted Mess’ has a more dance-rock feel akin to their Brooklyn residence counterparts The Rapture, while the epic closing track (rather fittingly), ‘Casual Goodbye’, drags before melting into a reprise of previously played ‘Lovesick Teenagers’. It brings us full circle with a swell of synths and cymbals which again stop abruptly, with the group leaving the stage, and waves of sound echoing in our ears.
Artists in this article: Bear In Heaven
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