Live Review :: Wojtek the Bear :: Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh - May 9 2019

Live

Wojtek the Bear

Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh

May 9 2019

Words: Richard Cobb


Glasgow’s wojtek the bear have been on my 'to see' bucket list for years, so what better way to biro them off the list than at the newly crowned ‘Music Week Awards Grassroots Venue Spirit Of The Scene’ award-winning Sneaky Pete’s. It was the perfect backdrop for a band smashing out atmospheric songs from all angles.

Special mention should go to the band’s record label Scottish Fiction for assembling such a well thought out and close-knit family in their label. Local acts Acrylic, Mt Doubt, Annie Booth and Foreign Fox are all sheltered alongside wojtek the bear under the Scottish Fiction umbrella and there’s an organic, hardworking and cockle warming sound to each band which forms the perfect blend to the label.

Opening with the lead track from 2018’s debut album ‘A Talent for Being Unreasonable’ , ‘Oil & Water’ was the much-needed porridge oats to get the crowd up and alert early on. The jangly and insanely infectious latest single ‘Tonic Youth’, which has a Beach Fossils/Sunflower Bean vibe to it, was a highlight of the night and puts a smile on your face quicker than a helium balloon.

Single cut, ‘Made Out Of Maps’ - singer Tam Killean’s reflection on being stuck in a dysfunctional relationship - has a similar summery guitar line laced with a bucketing it down in Scotland, but still enjoying yourself sort of charm. The penultimate song ‘Postcode’ was all going swimmingly with the drums, violin and looping guitar working together a treat, but an unfortunately placed smoke machine almost fogged out the bassist in the centre of the stage which brought a bit of late wrestling-like drama to the proceedings.

Small and intimate venues are perfect to see a band like wojtek the bear in, but they’re the sort of band you could imagine would effortlessly make the step up to the big leagues no problem, and with more singles in the pipeline this year, I wouldn’t put it past them.
Read up more on the band in our recent interview with Tam here.