Bear's Den are a British folk rock band from London, formed in 2012. The band consists of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones. Joey Haynes left the band in early 2016. For their 2016/2017 Tour in Europe and North America Joey was replaced by the Dutch artist Christof van der Ven, not as an official member but as a session musician. Bear's Den have released three studio albums: Islands, Red Earth & Pouring Rain and So that you might hear me. Islands peaked at number forty-nine on the UK Albums Chart. The band has also issued three EPs: Agape , Without/Within and Only Son of the Falling Snow. The band has been nominated for several music awards throughout their career, with "Above the Clouds of Pompeii" earning the band a nomination for the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2015. The band received two nominations at the UK Americana Awards in 2016, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Agape".
History
2012–2014: Formation and early years
The band's first tour in which the band travelled across the USA in Volkswagen Campervans with Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Staves, was the subject of a 2014 documentary, "Austin to Boston" by James Marcus Haney, which premiered at the 58th BFI London Film Festival. Since then the band has toured the USA several times, in support of Mumford & Sons and Daughter and as headliners. They also toured the UK supporting Smoke Fairies in 2012 and Australia supporting Matt Corby in October 2013. In June 2014 the band received the £2,500 Momentum Deezer Award from the PRS for Music Foundation.
2014–2016: ''Islands''
On 20 October 2014, the band released their debut albumIslands on Communion Records, the label founded in 2006 by Bear's Den member Kevin Jones with Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons and producer Ian Grimble. The album spent 10 weeks in the UK Official Charts, peaking at No. 49. Islands appears at no. 7 in the first official UK Americana Chart, and at no. 9 in the top selling Americana albums of 2015. In March 2015 their song "Above the Clouds of Pompeii" was nominated for the Ivor Novello award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically". In October 2015Islands was re-released as a deluxe edition featuring an extra CD of live tracks. In 2015 the band sold out their extensive UK, Europe and US tours, including London's Roundhouse. They performed at international festivals including Reading and Leeds, Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza, Citadel, Somersault, NOS Alive, BBK, Squamish, Pukkelpop, Lowlands, Bonnaroo and Dockville. On 4 February 2016, Joey Haynes announced via the band's Facebook that he was leaving the band to spend more time with family and friends. Bear's Den's first show as a duo was a surprise set at Communion's club night at Notting Hill Arts Club on 3 April 2016. A short tour of European venues followed. On 14 October 2016, just under 2 years since release date, Islands was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry , in recognition of 60,000 sales.
2016–2019: ''Red Earth & Pouring Rain''
On 4 April 2016, the band released a trailer in anticipation of their new album. Red Earth & Pouring Rain was released on 22 July. They also announced a tour of Europe for Autumn 2016, including their biggest headline show to date at Brixton Academy.
2019–present: ''So that you might hear me''
In January 2019, the band changed their social media design after almost three years and a website was sent to people affiliated to their official page, called "So that you might hear me", the potential title for a new album. Four days later, it was revealed that their third album, titled indeed "So that you might hear me", would be released on 26 April 2019. They also released two singles the next day; "Blankets Of Sorrow" and "Fuel On The Fire". On 4 March they released the third single from the new album, "Laurel Wreath". On 12 February 2019, A podcast carrying album's name was announced. Hosted by Danny Carissimi, it explores a different song on the new album in each episode through interviews with Davie and Jones. In August 2019 the band headed off on a Highlands and Islands tour of Scotland taking in the likes of Stornaway, Aviemore, Banchory and Dunkeld. The tour was a stripped back acoustic affair and the band were joined on stage by Christof van der ven and Marcus Hamblett.
2020–present: ''Fragments''
On 26 June 2020, the band posted a snippet of the Fragments version of "Fuel On The Fire", and changed their social media design. The next two days, the Fragments versions of "Napoleon" and "When You Break" were teased respectively. On 1 July 2020, the band announced a studio recording of the Fragments shows they had done with Paul Frith back in 2018. The hope was that Paul’s re-imaginings, his orchestral re-interpretations, would shed new light on some of the band's songs and in turn cause different reactions in the music and stir different emotions in the listener.
