Grizzly Bear and The London Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican

Grizzly Bear and The London Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican

03 November, 2009
by: Joshua28

How do you support a band not only at the top of their game, but also accompanied by the might of the London Symphony Orchestra? If you're St. Vincent, the answer is 'play it minimal'.

On stage it's just her on bass guitar, and another guy on violin, loop pedals and what I imagine is an MPC 1000 (I was too far to see). Smart move. Surrounded by the lighting rigs and left-behind instruments of the main act she had little space to manoeuvre herself on stage; she seems overwhelmed in the shadow of what was to come.

The stripped down approach works well enough; the reverb of the violin/bass guitar, the echo from her lonely voice plus the dark turns of her lyrics ("the drink goes in and the devil comes out") creates a ghostly ambience in the massive Barbican hall. Good thing it's Halloween. Extra melodies are squeezed out of loop pedals, but after song five, I'm getting restless.

Luckily it's not long until Grizzly Bear. The orchestra is on first; string section, piano, harp, horn section, and then come the boys, walking sheepishly on to the stage with an air of humility. I'm worried this might sound like Grizzly Bear with 'approved noise' tacked on. This could get messy. but launching into their first song 'Easier,' all fears are quickly declared unfounded.

The orchestra, far from being a pretty burden, is like fairy dust; adding sparkle and expanding on Grizzly's already luscious and hypnotic compositions from the inside out. In fact, so tightly woven into the fabric of their songs, it almost sounds like it was always meant to be this way. Enormous, soaring choruses are fattened into mighty waves of graceful force, and gentle verse sections are softened further, layered with soul.

And then it is over. I've just seen one of the best gigs in my life. As far as I'm concerned orchestras are the new black. Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective; take note!

Grizzly Bear will be back playing the Roundhouse on the 13th March 2010.

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Joshua28