I think by now there is little to say about Grizzly Bear that hasn’t already been said. This is a band who consistently push the boundaries of their music and have only gotten better with each and every album they have produced. Some may argue otherwise but no one can argue their consistency in achieving something truly aurally pleasing. In a world where so much music sounds the same, this is a band who proudly stand out from the pack. To some, the fact they have managed to achieve such cult status might be surprising. But they probably haven’t listened to their music.
Their live shows have always been fairly straight forward from a production point of view, and this sideshow for Harvest Festival was no different. While earlier shows in Australia have seen lightbulbs suspended from the ceiling, here the band have opted for colour; a light show pushing out from behind them that perfectly accompanied their music. It really is all you need when you are dealing with music this intricate to perform; musicians switching between instruments and loops, manipulating the architecture of their sound. Bright strobe lights were also used for dramatic effect when the songs were at their most powerful, when a bass was pushed up and shook the room and the orchestra that surrounded it massaged your ear drums with a loving embrace.
The set focused on their latest release, the phenomenal Shields. My personal favourite of the album, “Speak in Rounds” opened up proceedings in epic fashion, ahead of “Adelma” and the popular “Sleeping Ute”. This preceded six more tracks off the new album, meaning just about the entire record got a listen, satisfying its fans with great effect. 11 other tracks were thrown in, including 7 from Veckatimest, a trifecta from Yellow House and the surprise inclusion of one of their oldest numbers, “Shift” off of their debut Horn of Plenty.
Now if you’ve seen this band before you’ll know one thing: once they’ve toured a new album, they have no intentions of touring it again. Though the tracks off of Veckatimest may have stayed relatively true to their source material – as it did with Shields tonight – in their past visits to Australia, here we saw the band expand upon and experiment with their past favourites. This no doubt gives them new life on behalf of the band, but it also keeps the crowd on their toes, engaged and excited to hear what comes next. Some tracks were simplified, while others saw extended instrumental moments and some experimentation with instruments possibly absent from the original productions.
Appropriately, the night closed with a spellbinding acoustic version of “All We Ask” off of Veckatimest, proving once and for all that even when it comes to songs from their past, this is a band who will continually move forward. I for one can’t wait to hear what comes next… But for now I still have Shields on repeat, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here… Until next time! Or until Chris makes good on his promise and moves to Australia… Either way…
Setlist:
Speak in Rounds
Adelma
Sleeping Ute
Cheerleader
Lullabye
Yet Again
Shift
A Simple Answer
Gun-Shy
Ready, Able
I Live With You
Foreground
While You Wait For The Others
What’s Wrong
Two Weeks
Half Gate
Sun In Your Eyes
Encore:
Knife
On A Neck, On A Spit
All We Ask (Acoustic)
