PANDA BEAR + MARIA REIS – CHALK, BRIGHTON 6.6.25
The music of legendary experimental pop troupe Animal Collective is very difficult to overstate, from the noisy, youthful beginnings of 2000’s ‘Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished’, which was a primary release of Avey Tare (David Portner) and Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), the band have explored a marvellous array of sound that stretches towards all manner of quirk, pop and sonic circumstance, whether that be through the rustic, winter backdrop of 2004’s ‘Sung Tongs’, the sharp, bubbling melting pot of 2007’s ‘Strawberry Jam’, the breakthrough breath of fresh psychedelic pop air on 2009’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’, or the brother-sister pair-up for the more watery and serene ‘Time Skiffs’ and ‘Isn’t It Now?’ released between 2022 and 2023.
The quartet of Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist (Brian Weitz) and Deakin (Josh Dibb) have been responsible for moulding, tearing apart and re-inventing the sounds of pop within the indie sphere for over twenty-five years, with all four members dipping in and out of its creative cycle to work on each other’s projects. It’s arguable that the most fruitful excitements to come from a member’s solo work lies in the paws of Noah Lennox’s work as Panda Bear.
The mid-to-late 2000s were a prime creative peak for the group and its respective solo projects, so Panda Bear’s 2007 ‘Person Pitch’ release is highly notable for its extensive sampling, luscious and atmospheric production and its pioneering techniques that have become credible for the further development of the music of vaporwave, a sample-based style of music manipulation that would become prominent in the 2010s.
Further albums of Panda Bear’s catalogue, such as 2011’s ‘Tomboy’, 2015’s ‘Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper’ and 2019’s ‘Buoys’ would further cement his process of sample utilization within his distinctive walls of Beach Boys-tinged harmonies and down-to-earth songwriting, often about his experiences of love or life in Portugal.
However, it’s the collaboration with Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, 2022’s ‘Reset’ that saw Panda Bear begin to swim back into indie music’s ever-changing consciousness, playing an extensive UK tour, which culminated in my viewing of him at Brighton’s Komedia, where I first met Brighton & Hove News Music Editor Nick Linazasoro! (Review HERE).
2025 saw the release of his eighth solo studio album not credited alongside any other members of Animal Collective, ‘Sinister Grift’, an album that has been heralded as his best since ‘Person Pitch’. Noah has taken this new body of work across the UK and Ireland for a seven-date tour, concluding at Brighton’s Chalk for the final show (courtesy of Melting Vinyl promoters), before heading to London to play at Victoria Park for Jamie XX’s Lido Festival.
Opening for Saturday night’s show with Panda Bear came the angelic Maria Reis, a Portuguese singer-songwriter who also collaborates with Noah in his live band during this incarnation of his project. Already making a name for herself with four EPs under her belt, she released her debut full-length album in the May of last year, ‘Suspiro…’, which embraces, not just her traditional Portuguese musical background, but also vignettes of daily life against cascading indie rock soundscapes.
Maria, teamed with another Panda Bear live member, drummer Tomé Silva, and bassist Francisco Couto, treated us to a sublime four song set. Armed with a 10-string classical acoustic guitar, she opens up her performance with some heavenly vocal performances that remind me of Low’s Mimi Parker, as well as some distinctive mutations of tempo and refrain repetitions that are hypnotic as they are joyous. A transition into the following song is made, almost seamless in parting, where the groove changes to something more krautrock-tinged against a build of rhythmic inflections before finally breaking tension as Maria starts singing. It’s at this point in the set where I can see where Noah and Maria’s creative passions collide; both musicians have a distinctive, yet similar connection of psychedelic pop that is both accessible, yet wonderous in sound.
The third song in Maria’s set has a great post-rock-tinged sound with its long and tension-building intro, before it enters a beautifully sweet chord pattern that sounds like a cross between Animal Collective’s ‘Winters Love’ and the music of West African legend S.E. Rogie. Maria welcomed us to one more song from her arsenal, with some gorgeous descending progressions in what is easily the most straightforward song of the set, and yet it’s by no means any less exciting and luscious.
Maria Reis:
Maria Reis – vocals, guitar
Tomé Silva – drums, backing vocals
Francisco Couto – bass, backing vocals
After Maria’s departure, I managed to find time to catch up with photographer for the evening Cherie Elody, as well as friend and fellow musician, Ronan Goran, discussing the music of Panda Bear before the clock reached 8:30, where the lights turned down and the quintet of Noah Lennox, Tomé and Maria, bassist Tim Koh and synth player (and partner to Noah) Rivka Ravede arrived to the sight of glitching projections. The applause and cheers stayed constant at the introduction of ‘Sinister Grift’ closing track ‘Defense’, whose staccato guitar chords and evocative 60s sound, topped with bubbling synthesizer lines act as a wonderful introduction to the set’s proceedings.
Even with Noah slowly approaching 50, his voice, paired in performance with the sound of slapback delay, still sounds magnificent; possibly one of my top five favourite musical voices?! The funky ‘Alsatian Darn’ from the ‘Tomboy’ album sees Rivka playing around with some warped vocal manipulations that work very well in the atmosphere of the song, while the visuals, albeit slightly odd with the sight of men jumping around in blue ponchos, are playful, mirroring the essence of Panda Bear’s music. The gloriously 50s-esque tone of ‘Ends Meet’, one of my favourite tracks from the new album, sees the group explore some bittersweet and slick vocal harmonies in the chorus atop a great syncopated drum groove.
Next came a cover of ‘Greaser’ by the Crying Nudes; while unknown to most of the Panda Bear crowd, the performance of which still captured their admirable attention with its shimmering organ samples and downward stepping chord progression. An abrupt tempo change brings us into ‘Virginia Tech’, a standalone single released after ‘Sinister Grift’. This track has a much more linear journey to take, with all members (except Tim) contributing elongated harmonies to the soundplay, in addition to some irregular metric changes and a great electronic shockwave riding through the song’s bridge courtesy of Rivka.
The title track from ‘Tomboy’ followed suit, with many of the distinctive trademarks that makes a Panda Bear song coming into fruition: the staccato slapback lyrical delivery, vocalisations in the form of verbiage that is often a staple of Animal Collective songs in general and a great build up of rhythm and sonic hypnosis towards its final leg. Another favourite from the new album for me, ‘Venom’s In’ takes a more Velvet Underground-tinged direction with its interpolation of floor tom and tambourine, echoing the drum stature of Moe Tucker. Next came a real treat for AnCo fans, ‘Song For Ariel’, best known as ‘Guys Eyes’ on the Animal Collective opus ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’, is played with a somewhat more conventional rhythmic backdrop that evokes the sound of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. With this version of the song predating the official MPP rendition, it’s interesting to see a different avenue to the track having been an avid listener of its parent album for around seven years now.
The opening track to ‘Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper’, ‘Sequential Circuits’ features a more simplistic structure, accentuated by big chord hits and an absence of inside rhythms to make the song feel more spacious and grand, with an emphasis on the classic Panda Bear vocal arrangements to make the song all the more special. The song ‘Shepard Tone’ features a deeper exploration of the dub and indie surf that dominates Panda Bear’s later work, while the closing track of the main set (and peculiarly the opening track on ‘Sinister Grift’,
‘Praise’ is a classic example of an Animal Collective-related song that grows on you the more and more listens you end up giving it; this performance has now led to this track in particular becoming one of my all-time favourites of Noah’s, and for very good reason: its infectiously sticky hook melodies, jammy instrumental propulsions and dense yet beautiful vocal arrangements are more than enough to make this a modern age AnCo classic. As the band leave the stage with the visuals still emitting full quirk on the backdrop, the audience erupt in cheer and applause as they (im)patiently await for an encore, which is gifted in the form of a three-song performance.
Firstly, ‘Take Pills’, one of the best songs to come from Noah’s catalogue on ‘Person Pitch’, split into two distinctive musical passages, the former of which, dreamlike in performance, and the latter, joyful and energetic with the biggest singalong from the Brighton crowd. And finally, a medley of ‘Sinister Grift’ cut ‘Just As Well’ and ‘Tomboy’ classic ‘Slow Motion’, contained within a jumpy 6/4 groove, packed with polyrhythmic melodies, explorative chord structures and catchy refrains.
While Noah may not have given much of his time to talk to the audience, he made sure to take a moment to give his gratitude to us for coming before heading off-stage with his cohorts for the last time. Having been a fan of his work, both with Animal Collective and solo for over half a decade, seeing him live for a second time with a band outfit around him was a truly rewarding experience. Sometimes, with the world of independent music constantly shifting all around us, it can be easy to forget about some of the more pivotal artists who helped shape the music that influenced today’s more psychedelic and experimental cultures of the modern age’s sound. However, in years to come, I don’t think it will be difficult to forget Panda Bear.
Panda Bear:
Noah Lennox – vocals, guitar
Rivka Ravede – electronics, backing vocals
Tomé Silva – drums, backing vocals
Maria Reis – keys, backing vocals
Tim Koh – bass
Panda Bear setlist:
‘Defense’ (from 2025 ‘Sinister Grift’ album)
‘Alsatian Darn’ (from 2011 ‘Tomboy’ album)
‘Ends Meet’ (from 2025 ‘Sinister Grift’ album)
‘Greaser’ (The Crying Nudes cover)
‘Virginia Tech’ (2025 standalone single)
‘Tomboy’ (from 2011 ‘Tomboy’ album)
‘Venom’s In’ (from 2025 ‘Sinister Grift’ album)
‘Song For Ariel’ (old version of ‘Guys Eyes’ by Animal Collective)
‘Sequential Circuits’ (from 2015 ‘Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper’ album)
‘Shepard Tone’ (from 2018 ‘A Day With The Homies’ EP)
‘Praise’ (from 2025 ‘Sinister Grift’ album)
(encore)
‘Take Pills’ (from 2007 ‘Person Pitch’ album)
‘Just As Well’ (from 2025 ‘Sinister Grift’ album)
‘Slow Motion’ (from 2011 ‘Tomboy’ album)
