When the members of Minus the Bear first convened in a dingy practice space in 2001, there were few expectations for the project other than providing a reason for the five drinking buddies to hang out, have a few laughs, and write some idiosyncratic pop songs.
Seattle had just closed out a decade of living in a cultural spotlight due to their city’s penchant for loud, earnest, brooding rock music, and the guys in Minus the Bear seemed to take pleasure in writing songs that were the antithesis to the ‘90s heavy- handed big-riff gloom. All the members had done their time pedaling angst and frustration in other music projects, so it seemed to make sense to offset that vitriol with cerebral pop songs. Their debut EP, This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic, with it’s nimble guitar work, observational lyrics, complex hooks, and four-on-the-floor dance beats, proved to be a breath of fresh air in a city that lived under a bank of black clouds nine months out of the year.
Over the course of their career, Minus the Bear have demonstrated that they are more than just some flashy playful indie pop act. It was a bit of a gamble to follow up the buoyant guitar gymnastics of their debut album with a full-length that throbbed with staccato riffs, sepia-toned lyrics, and an almost electronic pulse. But it wound up being a pivotal album in Minus the Bear’s trajectory. Not only did Menos el Oso propel the band to bigger audiences, it set a precedent for the band’s future fearlessness in exploring new sonic frontiers and now they’ve got five albums to prove it. Come see their musical dexterity played out live.
GORILLA
SATURDAY 23 JANUARY
MINUS THE BEAR + AERO FLYNN
6:30PM-10PM : £14 ADV (14+)
