It has only been three years since Andrew Davie, Kevin Jones and Joey Haynes, released their first album; Islands (2012). Now, two albums and three EP’s later it’s no wonder why Bear’s Den is one of the most wanted bands to play at summer festivals.

By: Layla Bil

We at Rockstone know why all the festivals are so eager to book these bearded guys. That’s why last year, we filmed an acoustic session with the band at Metropolis Festival, Rotterdam. The United Kingdom based trio create an own mix of British alternative folk/rock, which makes them a perfect addition to the Daughter and Ben Howard-collection. The slightly melancholic voice of Andrew Davie supports the message that the band wants to give you. “It is not so much about putting this music into a genre, for us it comes very naturally and it is more about story telling”, explains Davie in an interview.

The banjo-sound in the last released EP Agape strongly reminds of the atmosphere in the Mumford & Sons songs. Therefore it would not surprise you that Bear’s Den was the support act of Mumford & Sons during their United States tour. Another funny thing is that bands are also connected through Bear’s Den’s record label, Communion Records. This label was co-founded by Kevin Jones (Bear’s Den) and Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons).

Communion Records was also the creator of the awesome raw tour documentary Austin to Boston. Together with three other bands, Bear’s Den toured in a Volkswagen van through the United States, with the slogan; “The road is a fresh start”. The BFI London Film Festival, the Sheffield Documentary Festival and the San Diego Documentary Festival selected the documentary for screening.

Even though Bear’s Den is close related to the better-known folk/rock bands, the band definitely has an own sound. In the song ‘Above The Clouds of Pompei’, the addition of electrical sounds contributes to a more ‘shoe gaze’, summer vibe. We will definitely check out Bear’s Den on one of the European summer festivals!

Planned events:

21/8
Hamburg, Germany
MS Dockville festival

22/8
Hasselt, Belgium
Pukkelpop

23/8
Biddinghuize, The Netherlands
Lowlands

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