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When it comes to instrumentalists pushing the boundaries of their sound, few keep the levels of integrity and surprise quite as strongly as Thundercat. The alias of Los Angeles bass virtuoso Stephen Bruner, the musician is no stranger to the live stage, having been touring since he was a teen, accumulating a healthy number of hits, and already joined forces with some of the biggest names in music: Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala and more.
Now at the midway point of his four sold-out shows in Camden and in the final stretch of his European tour dates, no one would blame him for playing it safe with last night’s show in London. However, the set seems to prove the opposite, with the singer, songwriter and bassist steering clear of back-to-back hits, and instead showcasing a sonically-rich snapshot of his extensive career.
“I feel like playing some other shit tonight” he exclaims to the crowd, standing between keyboardist Dennis Hamm and drummer Justin Brown, illuminated by a simple portable light placed next to him. And he goes to make good on that promise – taking to the stage for what proves to be a night of contrasts. Some fan favourites have been omitted to make space for tracks from across his early career. It doesn’t stop there though, as these are soon counterbalanced by a run of unreleased songs from his long-awaited album – which he promises us is definitely on the way.
“We’re up here going for blood!” he declares to the crowd after creating a technical whirlwind with ‘Interstellar Love’ and ‘How Sway’, pushing his six-string bass to its limits just two songs into the set. That being said, this is far from a pretentious jazz show, with the bassist constantly showing a playful side to the audience, teasing them about the long-awaited new album and showcasing a new tongue-in-cheek song which is somewhat of a “shoutout to anybody with ADHD and ADD”.
There is time to hone in on a more serious note too – with Thundercat taking a moment to share a moving anecdote about longtime friend and inspiration Pedro Martins, as well as carve out time to pay tribute to his late friends, urging the audience to take a moment to appreciate what little time we have with those who we love.
While some of the charm of Thundercat shows is undeniably lost by removing some fan favourites and reinterpreting each song on the setlist with virtuosic and spontaneous improvisation, the London set shows that the bass legend is still at the top of his game, and able to captivate his audience in a way quite unlike anyone else in 2024.
‘Great Scott’
‘Interstellar Love’
‘How Sway’
‘Uh Uh’
‘Overseas’
‘Daylight’
‘A Fan’s Mail’
New music
New music
‘Isn’t It Strange’
‘A Message For Austin’
‘Thousand Knives’
‘Dragonball Durag’
New music
‘DMT’ (Flying Lotus song, feat. Heidi Vogel)
New music
‘Heartbreaks+Setbacks’
‘Friendzone’
‘Funny Thing’
‘Walk On By’
‘Them Changes’
‘Show You The Way’
‘No More Lies’
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For Good Neighbours, everything started when they found their rhythm on social media. The project of songwriters Oli Fox and Scott Verill – who have previously released spritely indie-pop under various monikers – has maintained momentum on TikTok this year, via a lengthy roll-out of demos and behind-the-scenes footage. It’s a savvy, if slightly fatiguing tactic: the duo teased debut single ‘Home’ in dozens of videos, tagging each clip with general statements like ‘POV: you’ve found your roadtrip soundtrack’ or encouraging listeners to indulge in a main character moment.
It’s perhaps no surprise then that the loudest audience ovation is reserved for when Fox makes mention of the platform tonight (April 24). “Some of you may know us from TikTok,” he says knowingly. “And we took a bit of time to release an actual song.” The band are self-confessed super fans of Bleachers, and their blueprint is clear: big, washed-out, atmospheric tunes with lyrics about life-changing friendships that could find a place in Spotify’s Gen Z-targeted Lorem playlist.
This seamlessness is not lost on stage. When played live, ‘Home’, recent single ‘Keep It Up’ and a handful of unreleased tracks slide and swirl into a bright, easy-going pop haze. Beyond giving the former some extra gusto, replete with a multicoloured light display, there’s little to differentiate some of the newer material: Fox’s delivers ‘Ripple’ with a high-pitched cadence, occasionally straining to be heard atop a three-piece backing band.
With a silver chain lightly bouncing atop his graphic t-shirt as he wiggles around, Fox is an affable performer – and it would perhaps be churlish to put Good Neighbours down for the cheerfully uncomplicated mood that their melodies inspire. The energy in the room is very much ‘good times, all the time’, with music that you could call warm and familiar, buoyed by some big-chorus magic (a Grouplove redux, even).
Fox and Verill’s vision translates best during a more freewheeling ‘Daisies’, during which they rip into guitar solos and leap about joyously. It sparks the question: with a little more grit and wonkiness, could Good Neighbours, like their peers Royel Otis, make the leap to festival stages? Having successfully made an impact in an oversaturated online space, there’s enough here to suggest that they’ll soon take the next step.
