Bear Hands
The Paramount, Seattle, WA
09.23.16
Ten years in, and Brooklyn’s Bear Hands aren’t losing any momentum. They’ve been touring most of the year in support of their third full-length, You’ll Pay for This, bringing their hook-laden alt-rock to the masses. While the work doesn’t drastically depart from their earlier albums, the beauty of Bear Hands is in their inventiveness.
Each track treaded fresh water, mining endless influences and genres into a captivating compilation. Playing direct support to Foals on this tour, BH brought their chill focus to Seattle’s historic Paramount Theatre and a receptive crowd. The floor of the theatre was about half full on a Friday night, but those who were there were right up front, and seemed perfectly willing to indulge in BH’s post-punk, synth-laden, instrumentally inventive work.
The band kept them interested with changing melodies, from folk rock to arena-ready anthems, all totally accessible. Front man Dylan Rau had a kinetic, quirky energy and some killer vocals, while the rest of the band members each managed multiple instruments. Besides a couple of tracks off their 2014 album Distraction, the set stayed focused on newer material.
The band delivered a great performance despite it being the first night of tour with a lackluster crowd. Props to them, and here’s hoping things pick up on this tour for them, as their tunes are definitely worth regular rotation.
Check out our interview with guitarist, Ted Feldman, here.
Bear Hands Set List
Agora
Winners Circle
Boss
Bone Digger
Crime Pays
Chin Ups
I See You
The Shallows
Giants
Like Me Like That
2AM
I Won’t Pay
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Phillip Johnson
Bear Hands
