Review: Thundercat (and his cats) at The Anthem

Thundercat’s show last Tuesday at the Anthem was perhaps exactly what I needed in a mid-week break from the intensity of on-campus life. On stage, he was just as funny, weird, and eclectic as you would imagine him to be.

Real name Stephen Lee Bruner, Thundercat shined on stage with his characteristically long songs, sharp and groovy bass performances, and soothing vocals—all with a gigantic blow-up cat behind him and his crew. 

He was a great stage performer in many regards, starting silly conversations between every third song. He kept saying how he wanted to start a song with the Krusty Krab intro; he later said (paraphrasing here), “All these songs—you’d think they’d be about a girl that broke my heart—nope, they’re all about my cats. Except the mile high club one, that’s nasty.”

It’s been five years since Thundercat has released an album—the last one being 2020’s It Is What It Is—but with plenty of new tracks with his stamp on it and a dedicated fan base, Thundercat pulled through last Tuesday.

I loved this show. I’ll probably listen to Thundercat more because of it.