Bear vs Shark at Bowery Ballroom
photo by Stephanie Augello

Bear vs Shark played two reunion shows in NYC (pics from Bowery Ballroom)

Bear vs Shark were briefly around in the early 2000s for two full-lengths on Equal Vision. 2003’s Right Now, You’re in the Best of Hands… was raw, mathy post-hardcore/punk that surely took a few notes from Cap’n Jazz (and now is almost as influential), and 2005’s Terrorhawk added a sharper, artier edge to their sound. They broke up soon after Terrorhawk, and in the 11 years since they’ve been gone, their status rose considerably. They finally returned earlier this year and are now on a reunion tour (presented by BrooklynVegan), which hit NYC for two shows this week. They played Market Hotel on Wednesday (9/28) followed by Bowery Ballroom last night (9/29), and both sold out well in advance.

I caught the Market Hotel show, where BvS sounded like they never left. The front half of the room was packed with people who knew every word and were ready to shout them back at the band, raise fists, and get rowdy. The crowd seemed like a good mix of people who had clearly been waiting 11 years to see them again, and people who were finally getting a chance to see them at all. A mix like that is pretty much the ideal way pack a reunion show, and the band was clearly humbled by the turnout. They opened with fan favorite “Ma Jolie” (which now has a band named after it) and played about 18 songs total. It was a fun show start to finish.

We’ve got photos of the Bowery Ballroom show — which was opened by LVL UP (five days after celebrating their first LP for Sub Pop at their own sold-out Market Hotel show) and Pinkwash. Check them out in the gallery above.

photos by Stephanie Augello