From Pisaro, Italy to your doorstep, Be Forest is a unique world of big bad bad bass drums behind finger picked bass, swelling wall of mood music guitar and a siren call singer: a youthful yet black and white tinged sound with an uncomfortable looking lead singer Costanza Delle Rose. Costanza closes her eyes when she sings and transports herself with a voice both yearning and distance, meanwhile drummer Erica Terenzi and guitarist Nicola Lampredi switch roles and the sound is like a docile hammer.
On stage at Cake Shop yesterday, Be Forest are quietly intense building up walls of strings and a terrific heavy handed drum while playing songs off their current release Earth Beat. Be Forest don’t much communicate with the packed out venue except for an occasional thank you and they seem so concentrated it is hard to imagine them switching off the level of intensity to gladhand us; we used to call this shoe gaze but it is more like dream pop to these ears, but one with a sense of restlessness.
Be Forest is part of a Pisaro scene dating back a couple of years (try the excellent band Soviet Soviet) “The Pesaro-movement brought out sharp sounds, chilly atmospheres, and new energies. As the band describes it: “Pesaro is not a city for young people, there are less and less venues to play at, especially during the winter. Perhaps this lack is exactly what motivates kids to embrace music so passionately”, according to their label. They released an album called Cold and followed it up with the newbie Earthbeat.
They are very organic, on stage there is no musical hi jinx, you are getting what is advertised with everything very analogue and in your ear, it is a special delight. I’ve been complaining about the sound of the drums at recent concerts but here they are very powerful, very 4 on the floor and right on the money. I just wish Be Forest would interact with the audience a little more. They recently opened for Japandroids and you would think they’d be maybe a touch more out going. Still, for a Wednesday afternoon the sound takes you out of yourself, it is a trance out.
Grade: B
