Bakar Live at Village Underground - 25/09/2023

 Fresh off the release of his recent album Halo, Bakar visited Village Underground in Shoreditch for an intimate, stripped-back performance. Halo is the most mature and fleshed-out album Bakar has produced and the nature of his set proved this, with the minimalist performance that highlighted the infectious riffs and heartfelt but catchy lyrics. 

Backed only by two band members on acoustic and electric guitars, Bakar took centre stage with a peak vocal performance. Working his way through his songs, focused mainly on the recent LP with a few fan-favourite exceptions, he was able to expertly move between the energetic and popular songs (‘Alive!’ ‘Right Here, For Now’ and viral hit “Hell N Back’) to more emotional and slower tempo tracks that particularly shone within the stripped back performance (‘I’m Done’, ‘Selling Biscuits’ and ‘Hate The Sun’).

Starting the show with the opener off the record, ‘OneInOneOut’ perfectly encapsulated the vibe of the show with a steady guitar with a tone to die for that backtracked Bakar’s vocals. The energy of the audience instantly rose, the crowd singing along loudly or cheering as he worked through the song. It was a strong start that engaged every member of the audience, their attention was seized as he quickly moved on to the first single from Halo ‘Alive!’. The 700-capacity venue was almost shaking as the fans danced and sang loudly along. In ‘Right Here, For Now’, another fan-loved and popular single from the recent project, Bakar riffs the chorus from ‘3 Nights’ by Dominic Fike, something which the crowd adored and helped to elevate an already fantastic song.

‘I’m Done’, a slower heartfelt song, was transformed when performed with minimal instruments. The same can be said for ‘Hate The Sun’ as the two guitars backing Bakar helped to ground the song and allow for not just the vocals but the lyrics to really take centre stage. This is why the nature of the stripped-back performance, and the intimacy that inevitably comes along with it, is so alluring for Bakar and his fans. He writes songs with such elegance, the lyrics being of the simplicity of love or the everyday relatability of love and life, that when it is just him and a guitar Bakar can truly emphasise the beauty of those lyrics and the moments of time he is able to capture.

Throughout the set, Bakar discussed his upcoming headline tour in November which will see him perform at Eventim Apollo for two consecutive nights, a second date already added after the first night quickly sold out. With the energy from the crowd throughout the night, it was clear Bakar’s return to not just smaller intimate shows but shows, in general, was well-received-the mention of the upcoming tour earning a deafening round of applause and cheers. It is no surprise that the mention of already writing again, wanting to avoid another 4 year gap as seen within the release of ‘Badkid’ and ‘Nobody’s Home’, and that he intends on having a period of high output as he feels he is writing the “best songs I’ve ever written”. If Halo is the benchmark, then the prospect of new music is without a doubt exciting.

Bakar ended the show with ‘Hell N Back’, a beloved song by fans and his most popular song to date. A perfect way to round off not just a fantastic setlist but also a great performance, ‘Hell N Back’ had every member of the audience participating and singing along and the final repeat of the verse, sung alone with no backing guitar, was a surreal moment as the crowd all went quiet as Bakar closed the show. 

Bakar’s performance was wonderful and helped to elevate some of his songs to new heights. The intimacy of the venue and set allowed for the lyrics to shine as well as his vocals and proved that his songs are multi-dimensional, catchy and energetic tracks. They can capture the smallest of beauty in moments of love and the stripped-back performance emphasised this. Bakar has mastered his genre and is further progressing it in the nature of his live performances, as such his upcoming shows in November cannot come soon enough.