The first time I heard of The Gypsy Bears was back in 2006 or 2007, and I'd missed their set.  I had arrived at a show shortly after they left the stage to find the crowd absolutely buzzing with excitement. Who were these kids?  Nobody seemed to really know them, but anyone I talked to that night excitedly described this weird band they had just experienced.  I heard tales of programmed drums, back flips off of amps, frenzied members running around the stage intentionally detuning each other's guitars, band members and crowd alike taking hits off the fog machine.

Pure chaos the crowd said, the music wasn't exactly the greatest, but you just have to see them live, they're amazing.

And so I did, a lot, and I got to see the band change and evolve over the years. Members came and went, the programmed drums were eventually traded for a human drummer, the music became great and eventually the guitars even stayed in tune for the whole set. But one thing remained constant: The chaotic energy on stage which always makes seeing The Gypsy Bears a memorable experience. 

Here's a few of my favourites from their set at Verns last weekend.