Friday 17/12/2010 The Bees @ Koko, London

It’s difficult to gauge the impact The Bees have had on the music world. Almost everyone knows at least a couple of Bees songs, courtesy of various TV ads (‘A Minha Menina’) and the fact that one of their tracks was a compulsory purchase for anyone claiming to be an indie club DJ (‘Chicken Payback’). Yet ask around even among the most ardent music buffs, and they might still be hard-pressed to name much more of their back catalogue.

This is nothing to do with the strength of The Bees as a band. Every member is proficient in at least three instruments, brass, keys and guitars included, and they make some of the most technically interesting, while at the same time jaunty and danceable, material around, combining straight up indie with elements of jazz, funk and psychedelic rock.

It’s more to do with the way the industry works these days, gathering around the latest buzz sounds for short periods of time before moving on to the next big thing, while accomplished musicians slog away in the background, churning out quality album after quality album with very little fanfare.
This is why bands like The Bees get their just reward on tour; tonight, after an early start time which wrong-footed a few, by mid-set Koko is brim-full and giving the band the adulation they deserve.

The set is also testament to the cohesiveness of their material, with tracks picked from all four albums fitting snugly alongside each other. In fact, the first four offerings are a mini-tour through Bees history, kicking off with ‘These Are The Ghosts’ from Free The Bees, followed by a romping ‘Who Cares What The Question Is?’ and ‘Angry Man’, from Octopus and Sunshine Hit Me respectively, before eventually giving us ‘Tired Of Loving’ from the new album, Every Step’s A Yes, released in October and presumably the ostensible reason for the tour.

In the event there are only five more tracks to come from the new record, but this feels like a refreshing change; regardless of the fact that most fans want to hear the songs they know well for the price of their ticket, many bands tend to get a bit snobby when they have a new album to promote, almost dismissing previous material as history and maintaining a blinkered belief in all things new. The Bees, on the other hand, come across tonight as though each new record is only an extension to their overall body of work, from which they can pick and choose from wherever they like with equal impact.

The strategy works. ‘Change Can Happen’ and ‘Winter Rose’ have them standing shoulder to mighty shoulder with The Coral, while ‘A Minha Menina’ and the stomping ‘No Atmosphere’ get the stalls dancing along. All this is leading to a musical crescendo, as first the frantic and extended instrumental of ‘The Russian’, and then the insistent brass motif of ‘Got To Let Go’, work both band and crowd up to a frenzied close.

This being the last night of their tour, there’s no question of them not re-emerging for an encore, and ‘Chicken Payback’ and finally, the new album’s lead track, ‘I Really Need Love’, send Koko out singing down the streets of Camden.