Panda Bear – Heaven, London 11/03/10

ATP’s recent spree of putting on gigs at Heaven seems to make bizarre sense at the hands of Noah Lennox: the bass-heavy nature of the Charing Cross club turns Panda Bear’s set into a rather physical experience. Opening with the aptly-titled ‘Drone’, that future-angelic voice carries across single synth notes – the lower of these vibrating the audience from sole to nostril. It’s five minutes of pretty perfect mood setting as the near-tribal rhythms of ‘Tomboy’s drum-pattern germinate underneath the synth, with Noah switching to a rather warpy-sounding guitar. It’s the simple and effective recipe for the next sixty-five minutes.

With new record Tomboy expected later this year, Lennox’s sticks almost entirely to new material. The LP’s title track gives way to the chiming-glockenspiel loop of ‘Surfers Hymn’ which, backed by the flourishing avant-garde visuals of some swimmers and the sea, leaves you floating on its ambience. Its sublime chorus segues into ‘I’m Not’ – the only cut of Person Pitch in the set – with Lennox’s voice sounding nothing short of perfect.

Lennox’s set stays within the minimal beats and trademark samples, synths and vocals territory. Some of the more downbeat sections do wash past a little, but at moments like ‘You Can Count On Me’ it just works. The loopy glitches and pulse of standout ‘Bullseye’ hit an urgency and mood common to the-scene-before-the-huge-finale in some epic sci-fi film (in the best possible way) with Noah’s refrain “I don’t buy / don’t buy it” varnishing the contorting synths.
Despite the divine moments of some of the new songs, there are plenty of mixed feelings amongst the crowd: “self-indulgent” being the remark thrown around with most frequence, particularly in reference to the opening ten minutes of the set. The most dissatisfying moment is without a doubt the abrupt ending, the venue’s 10.20pm curfew leaving no potential of an encore. Take it or leave it, the highest points of tonight’s performance are unquestioningly ace.