Bears in Trees headline XOYO, Birmingham alongside the American indie pop group, The Happy Fits as they both tour the UK and Europe with their highly anticipated joint tour! With Bears in Trees’ emo indie sound and The Happy Fits’ unique folk tone they enlightened the room alongside their UK support Lexie Carroll! Bears in Trees were set to release their 2nd debut studio album ‘How to Build an Ocean : Instructions’ on the Friday 26th April during the UK leg of this tour.
As I strolled up to the venue, their queue went down the street with fans excited to see all the lineup for the evening and it being the opening night of the tour made it all the more thrilling for the people there. I walked in and the show started in no time.
On walked Lexie Carroll, opening the night with tracks such as ‘evelyn’, ‘the sky looks nice today’ and her new single that was set to drop that night ‘laundry detergent’! The crowd cried at her bittersweet sombre tunes as her soft voice echoed throughout the venue alongside her dulcet guitar. Did I mention that she’s only 19?
As Lexie’s set came to an end, it was time for The Happy Fits! Coming over from Pittstown, New Jersey to perform in the UK, they brought up the energy in the room with their specialised sound coming from their frontman (Calvin) as he bought on a gorgeous black cello. Stringing the audience along with their tunes such as ‘She Wants Me (To Be Loved)’, ‘Cold Turkey’ and a personal favourite ‘Dirty Imbecile’, they continued as everyone in the room was jumping, arms in the air, all singing everything right back to them. The energy was infectious.
The band played ‘Little One’ and dedicated it to the LGBTQ+ community as they introduced it to the crowd which was met with an uproar of cheers from the room. As the set ended, I was left with a feeling of wanting more as the sound had left such an impression on me. The ear worm from ‘Dirty Imbecile’ has not left me since and I can tell you that The Happy Fits had one more fan after that Tuesday night.
Finally, on came Bears in Trees. They started off the set by playing a new song from their unreleased album, using this as an opportunity to teach the crowd some of the lyrics which they were very down to shout right back at them. You felt right at home in that space and I couldn’t help and tear up at some songs. The members spoke to their audience as if they were long-lost friends reconnecting right in that moment rather than just fans of theirs here for a show.
One of my personal highlights from the set was ‘Doing This Again!’ due to it’s relatability and watching people scream those lyrics right back to the performers. It’s self awareness is something that you laugh at whilst feeling deep inside yourself as you listen.
Closing the set with ‘Heaven is sent in a Coffee Cup’ and bringing on all of the performing artists to just jump around and share the energy with the crowd. It was such a wholesome moment to witness and you could tell everyone was enjoying themselves.
Check out their album How to Build an Ocean : Instructions’ out as they continue touring across Europe with The Happy Fits!
View the full gallery of photos here