Panda Bear: Tiny Desk Concert

Panda Bear: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Robin Hilton | April 16, 2025

When we heard that Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) was touring with a full band for the first time in more than 25 years of releasing music as a solo artist, we knew we had to (finally) get him in for a Tiny Desk.

Recreating his beautifully experimental studio work for a live setting was never easy to do alone, not without a lot of pre-recorded loops and backing tracks. But here Panda Bear's wondrous music comes to life with the help of four additional friends on bass, drums and electronics. Most importantly, they also provide the sweet, multi-layered harmonies fans have long loved in Panda Bear's recorded work.

The group largely focuses on Panda Bear's new album, Sinister Grift, opening with the glittery and wistful "Ferry Lady," followed by "Defense," a track Lennox originally recorded as a duet with Cindy Lee. They close with "Song for Ariel," a relatively deep cut that was the original prototype for Animal Collective's "Guys Eyes" from the 2009 album Merriweather Post Pavilion.

SET LIST

"Ferry Lady"

"Defense"

"Song for Ariel"

MUSICIANS

Noah Lennox: vocals, guitar

Rivka Ravede: electronics, background vocals

Tomé Silva: drums, background vocals

Maria Reis: keys, background vocals

Tim Koh: bass, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Robin Hilton

Director/Editor: Maia Stern

Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Grace Raver

Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai

Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Ashley Pointer

Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Joshua Bryant

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson

VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#nprmusic #tinydesk #pandabear