Tres Bon
Despite only having released one full-length album Bon Iver have made quite a name for themselves and manage to sell-out their Hyde Park Serpentine Session and fill the tent with fans desperate to sing along. ‘Lump Sum’ kicks off the set with glorious choral vocals that soar high up into the tent and instantly bring the audience to a reverential hushed silence. The constantly evolving combination of instruments throughout the set assures that even the quietest and gentlest tunes won’t be boring as Justin Vernon and his band swap from drums to guitar and bass liked a slick machine.
The crowd erupt into rapturous applause for album favourites like ‘Skinny Love’ which receives a three-way percussion treatment, giving it a visceral and invigorated sound, while ‘The Wolves’ gets a special treatment as Justin invites the crowd to sing the second half. The result is magnificent as the singer has correctly calculated that the tent with amplify the sound and give an extraordinary effect; it’s almost humbling to hear the sound of 3000 voices in unison but the sanctity of the moment is quickly overcome as the singer encourages the crowd to go wild and scream with ear-splitting vigour.
For anyone who might worry about Bon Iver’s lack of material there’s plenty on display tonight with EP tracks, ‘Beach Baby’ and ‘Babies’ contributing to the set, as well as ‘Brackett, WI’, a sweet folk song with sweeping vocals and a booming bassline recorded for a compilation. Bon Iver’s enchanting folk songs really come to life in the centre of the pitch black tent and the only disappointment of the night is the fact that the band announce that they won’t be returning to London soon.