Panda Bear & Sonic Boom at Heaven

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom are the stage names of two very influential indie musicians. Sonic Boom is the alternative name for singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Kember, who was a founding member of the popular 80s shoegaze band Spaceman 3, while Panda Bear is also known as Noah Benjamin Lennox, co-founder of experimental pop band Animal Collective.

Heaven is heaving with mostly middle-aged fans of the duo, and given each artist’s golden era, that makes perfect sense. Despite the Gen X majority, the music is modern and boundary-pushing, and the set features a beaming light display filled with flashing psychedelic imagery and dancing colours. The pair play their critically acclaimed album Reset in full – a psych electro record featuring samples of 1960s pop songs. “It’s like a spooky kids’ party,” somebody in the crowd remarks, and he’s got a point: the distorted sounds of the upbeat 60s have a distinctly eerie feel to them, particularly on tracks such as Everyday and Edge of the Edge.

Lennox’s voice is mesmerising, with a velvety Beach Boys-esque falsetto in parts, and occasionally very deep and almost robotic, while Peter Kember provides his softer, more understated backing. At times, the set feels verging on intense – as both the lights and the music are incredibly powerful together, it becomes a spooky sensory overload.

There are many dedicated fans of both stars’ here tonight, especially Kember. Shouts of “We love you Pete!” can be heard in between songs, and when the encore comes fans are delighted to hear the original Sonic Boom track Things Like This (A Little Bit Deeper) from the 2020 album All Things Being Equal. Unfortunately, many of the gig-goers have got caught up in the huge queue to the toilets at this point, but that leaves a sigh of relief and a much better viewing platform for the rest of us. Although occasionally repetitive, tonight’s show has been a triumph of sensory assault, and it’ll be interesting to hear what the duo do next, if they do carry on with their unique collaboration.

Hannah Broughton
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Panda Bear & Sonic Boom’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Go On here: