Gig review: Grizzly Bear

Published on Tuesday 3 November 2009 18:03

GRIZZLY BEAR **** ABC, GLASGOW

JUDGING by the rapt and packed venue, Brooklyn quartet Grizzly Bear are the latest US band to cast a spell on a UK audience. The ABC gig-goers are in good company. Grizzly Bear have received fulsome praise from Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor and their tourmates Radiohead – guitarist Jonny Greenwood has declared them his favourite band. But their most famous and unexpected advocate is superstar rapper Jay-Z, who was spotted with partner Beyonc in the audience at a free outdoor show in New York and has praised their progressive style.

Their current album Veckatimest has been their commercial breakthrough, but its haunting elegance takes on more mesmeric power in a live performance. Grizzly Bear don't bite nor pounce. Instead, they captivate with layered, cascading, celestial harmonies, which sound like Fleet Foxes coming out of leftfield.

Their set also taps into the pure euphoria of college rock contemporaries such as The Shins and, occasionally, the epic tidal surge of Arcade Fire. But they create something utterly distinctive out of these elements, even managing to distil the spirit of The Beach Boys without aping their much-copied blueprint.

In an exquisite set, their recent single Two Weeks stood out for its jauntiness and the rare outing of the gospel/folk-tinged Deep Blue Sea was sublime.

Even their lighting was thoughtful and beautiful – lightbulbs encased in clear glass bottles had been strung up on T-bar rigs and were illuminated sequentially, adding to the magical impact.