When it comes to instrumentalists pushing the boundaries of their sound, few keep the levels of integrity and surprise quite as strongly as Thundercat. The alias of Los Angeles bass virtuoso Stephen Bruner, the musician is no stranger to the live stage, having been touring since he was a teen, accumulating a healthy number of hits, and already joined forces with some of the biggest names in music: Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala and more.
Now at the midway point of his four sold-out shows in Camden and in the final stretch of his European tour dates, no one would blame him for playing it safe with last night’s show in London. However, the set seems to prove the opposite, with the singer, songwriter and bassist steering clear of back-to-back hits, and instead showcasing a sonically-rich snapshot of his extensive career.
“I feel like playing some other shit tonight” he exclaims to the crowd, standing between keyboardist Dennis Hamm and drummer Justin Brown, illuminated by a simple portable light placed next to him. And he goes to make good on that promise – taking to the stage for what proves to be a night of contrasts. Some fan favourites have been omitted to make space for tracks from across his early career. It doesn’t stop there though, as these are soon counterbalanced by a run of unreleased songs from his long-awaited album – which he promises us is definitely on the way.
Thundercat performs at KOKO in April 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
Above all else, it is the subtle ease in which he showcases his technical ability that stands out as the highlight on the night. Instead of belting along to each of his lyrics, the audience instead watch intently, as each track is reinvented with extensive improvisational solos and the musician shows off the jazz skills he has gathered over his 25-year career.
“We’re up here going for blood!” he declares to the crowd after creating a technical whirlwind with ‘Interstellar Love’ and ‘How Sway’, pushing his six-string bass to its limits just two songs into the set. That being said, this is far from a pretentious jazz show, with the bassist constantly showing a playful side to the audience, teasing them about the long-awaited new album and showcasing a new tongue-in-cheek song which is somewhat of a “shoutout to anybody with ADHD and ADD”.
There is time to hone in on a more serious note too – with Thundercat taking a moment to share a moving anecdote about longtime friend and inspiration Pedro Martins, as well as carve out time to pay tribute to his late friends, urging the audience to take a moment to appreciate what little time we have with those who we love.
While some of the charm of Thundercat shows is undeniably lost by removing some fan favourites and reinterpreting each song on the setlist with virtuosic and spontaneous improvisation, the London set shows that the bass legend is still at the top of his game, and able to captivate his audience in a way quite unlike anyone else in 2024.
Thundercat’s setlist was:
‘Great Scott’
‘Interstellar Love’
‘How Sway’
‘Uh Uh’
‘Overseas’
‘Daylight’
‘A Fan’s Mail’
New music
New music
‘Isn’t It Strange’
‘A Message For Austin’
‘Thousand Knives’
‘Dragonball Durag’
New music
‘DMT’ (Flying Lotus song, feat. Heidi Vogel)
New music
‘Heartbreaks+Setbacks’
‘Friendzone’
‘Funny Thing’
‘Walk On By’
‘Them Changes’
‘Show You The Way’
‘No More Lies’
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