The 2 Bears + Pachanga Boys

XOYO | 3 May

Taking over the sweaty reigns of XOYO’s ambitious new superstar residency series from Eats Everything are clubland’s most huggable, The 2 Bears. This is around midway into their 12 week occupation, and Raf Daddy welcomes the swelling audience with the confidence of someone who’s fully got to grips with his surroundings. 

The blazing yellow logo behind the two creates a glow just above their heads. There’s a warmth bouncing off of the walls, pulsating along with the carefree beat. The regular spot allows the DJ to step beyond the level of strangers on tour; essentially, they’re playing to the home crowd – this is the bear pit now.

Kudos to XOYO for taking a brave step into the forgotten realm of the residency without necessarily needing to. For any venues interested to know how it’s been going, Eats Everything sold out 12 Saturday nights in a row. Every gig. That’s 800 capacity x 12 weeks x £14 tickets. £134,400. And that’s not including sales of an ocean of tequila and a beach of salt to go with it. You could buy a few X-Boxes with that.

The Bears’ signature brew of heady, good-time house eases the crowd into submission. This is music to get a good night moving, not to intimidate you into an awe-inspired stupor. The kind of music that would cause Warp Records to break their delete key upon receiving the demo. Satisfying chord hits and simple bass riffs. It’s a respectful lead up to the Pachanga Boys, who continue the mood along with a few more off-kilter nuances such as the ritualistic auctioneer-esque chanting of Black Naga, a track from their Girlcatcher EP. From that same EP comes their cult hit Time, a beautiful 15 minute celebration of night culture which gloriously plays out later on, summing up the night, and in many ways summing up what the 2 Bears have represented since their formation.

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Check out a video based documenting Eats Everything’s XOYO residency here.

Words: Henry Johns

Photography: XOYO