You may not have realized it, but Minus The Bear have been a mainstay on the scene for 15 years now. It’s an impressive feat that they have maintained a solid pace, releasing six albums since their 2002 debut. This March they released Voids, via Suicide Squeeze Records, their sixth album to date.
Throughout their long-lasting career, they have built a passionate and devoted fanbase that has allowed them to keep doing what they love, to the point where they are still able to pack in rooms of all sizes (we’ve most recently caught them at Irving Plaza and The Gramercy Theatre). Last week they returned to New York for two shows, including Webster Hall on March 28, as well as the slightly smaller Music Hall of Williamsburg the very next night (we caught the Webster Hall show).
They brought along the new-look Beach Slang to open up for them on tour, and although it’s not the most obvious pairing, it worked quite well. They certainly got the crowd more than warmed up, sharing tracks from last year’s A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings, as well as their debut album ,The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us. They teased a mocking cover of Santana and Rob Thomas’ “Smooth,” but actually covered a pretty awesome cover of Pixies’ staple, “Where Is My Mind?.”
Minus The Bear may have settled into a different sound with their latest releases, and although I prefer their earlier work, it’s still impressive to see the band trying to tackle new ideas and sounds after fifteen years of going at it. They played six songs from new album Voids, and offered a rather balanced batch of songs from all of their albums, sticking to crowd favorites from each, such as “Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse,” “Knights,” and of course, an encore-finishing performance of “Pachuca Sunrise.”
Find photos of both Minus The Bear and Beach Slang posted below, as well as both band’s setlists.
Beach Slang Setlist:
1. Noisy Heaven
2. Wasted Daze of Youth
3. American Girls and French Kisses
4. Hard Luck Kid
5. Porno Love
6. Ride the Wild Haze
7. Punks in a Disco Bar
8. Dirty Cigarettes
9. Future Mixtape for the Art Kids
10. Spin the Dial
11. Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas
12. Where Is My Mind? (Pixies Cover)
13. Atom Bomb
Minus The Bear Setlist:
1. Last Kiss
2. Give & Take
3. Knights
4. Into the Mirror
5. Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse
6. Call the Cops
7. Cold Company
8. My Time
9. Excuses
10. Tame Beasts
11. Diamond Lightning
12. Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister
13. What About the Boat?
14. The Game Needed Me
15. Throwin’ Shapes
Encore:
16. Invisible
17. Pachuca Sunrise
Beach Slang:
Minus The Bear:
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