Bear’s Den
Welcome to my first ever indie pick of the week in SCAN, a feature where you may just find your new favourite artist sooner rather than later. This week I want to shout about three gentlemen that won over my heart a long time ago after I saw them supporting my favourite band, Of Monsters & Men, back in July 2012. Andrew Davie, Kev Jones and Joey Haynes make up Bear’s Den, a band that fits right into the ever-popular folk scene, a genre undisputedly reigned over by Mumford & Sons with whom the trio have also toured with. Other notable support slots include the haunting Daughter and a trip down under to play dates with Aussie singer-songwriter Matt Corby. All three members were previously part of the band Cherbourg but had a rethink, sharpened up their sound and lost the violin. The result was shown in their official debut EP Agape which dropped in March of this year. The five tracks focus around stories of family, commitment, love and heartbreak. From note one of opener Agape you know what you’re getting. It builds slowly, introducing you to the strings, percussion and finally the emotive tones of Andrew Davie. Although not the cheeriest of songs you’ll no doubt be bobbing your head and singing along to the chorus in no time. Also grappling for the title of best song on that EP is Isaac, a fairly chilling tale of devotion with the steady banjo and harmonising vocals calmly pushing the song through. NME said “it’s nothing to fall in love with”; well up yours NME, I fell in love with it and so should everyone else with ears! They triumphantly returned at the end of October with a sophomore EP, Without/Within. It was more of the same delicately crafted tales of despair and perseverance. The stand out for me had to be the triumphant Sahara. However, their best track to date is by far and away Pompeii, which hasn’t had any official release but featured on their self-released unofficial debut EP, a copy of which I bought for a bargain fiver after their show. Safe to say they are true understated masters of their trade who have now begun to get the recognition they deserve.
