Minus The Bear Bring It On Home

Minus The Bear w/ Beach Slang and Bayonne
Showbox, Seattle, WA
04.15.17

If you’ve walked by Everyday Music on Capitol Hill anytime recently, you’ve probably noticed that they painted the big garage door with the cover of Voids, Minus The Bear’s latest album. No surprise then that Seattle was pretty excited for the band to come back and finish off their tour in their hometown.

The night at The Showbox opened with indie electronic artist Bayonne. His set was pretty unexpected. With MTB being a pretty classic alt-rock band, and Beach Slang playing their loud punk rock, Bayonne’s atmospheric electronic music was a little different. The set opened slowly, easing the crowd into his first track by taking time to layer all the different sounds and samples he wanted in the song, eventually building a full track that sounded like something out of movie dream sequence.

Next up was Beach Slang, who definitely shifted gears from dreamy and calm to aggressive punk rock. Walking on stage happy as can be, lead singer James Alex wore a huge smile, a powder blue dress shirt, a bow tie, and a blazer with a little heart patch on it. While the music was good, the set was fun simply because it was absolutely saturated with Alex’s personality. He was happy to talk and joke around between nearly every song, explaining his “Nobody’s Nothing” heart patch, reading off the list he had collected of all the famous people fans had told him he looked like, and explaining how the set never ended before he finished his drink.

MTB didn’t mess around, they were there to play their music and that’s about it, just as it should be. The band opened their set with “Last Kiss,” a track from their newest album that’s been floating around alternative radio since the release of the record. The sound is a pretty classic alt-rock one, and they do it really well. Each track is hard-hitting and intriguing as it pulls you in with catchy riffs and smooth vocals.

Their set continued with various tracks from all the albums they’ve released in the past 16 years before finally closing with “Pahcuca Sunrise,” which had everyone on their feet jumping and singing along passionately.

Being in the top corner of the country, Seattle is often the first or last stop on US tours, and being the final show for MTB’s tour was a truly special night. All the performers continually expressed their thanks for the opportunity for such a great run, and everyone truly wanted to make it the best closing possible. From the trance-like state induced by Bayonne’s performance, to the drunken giggles and hard rock of Beach Slang’s, to the final bittersweet and heartfelt set from MTB, I’d say Seattle pulled through pretty well, closing the Voids tour with a bang.

Review by Lulu Dawson
Photos by Aaron Anderson

Minus The Bear