The duo ditched their bear costumes in favour of Halloween flamboyance, paying heartfelt tribute to electro heroes from Todd Terry to the KLF
Whenever Slipknot make a comeback they get a major mask makeover, extending their head spikes by three feet and trying to out-evil the evilest Wasco Clown. Not so, cuddly house revivalists The 2 Bears. Perhaps realising that the manky bear costumes they wore throughout the campaign for their inspired debut album Be Strong, in 2012, wouldnt even survive a hefty blast of Fabreze, theyve ditched the outfits altogether and instead shrouded themselves in camp Halloween flamboyance. Their warm-up act is a military mistress wrapping the crowd in neon wool for a lesson in rave knitting, and their show gradually becomes a vast parade of sexy zombies, S&M ghouls, Twiglet-physiqued he-shes and gasmask-clad Dr Deaths. Its like Rocky Horror night at The Box.
All of which makes their shameless throwback to early-90s house music an utterly infectious experience. While his Hot Chip bandmate Alexis Taylor is off exploring the emotive world of alt-folk, Joe Goddard drenches himself in post-rave cheese. Singer Raf Rundell the chunky brickie everyman of disco divas, as glamorous as a saveloy switches from Ian Dury monotone to cracked soul croon as My Queen throbs along on rusted rimshot beats and synthetic marimba. Beyond Bear Hug, their rib-crushing pastiche of A Guy Called Geralds Voodoo Ray, theres little novelty slant to their music; the glistening pop choruses of Angel (Touch Me), Get Out and Be Strong are heartfelt tribute to the Tongian era, the latter even listing their electro heroes from Todd Terry to the KLF.
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by Mark Beaumont via Electronic music | The Guardian
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