Bear’s Den performing at Rock City Nottingham on Friday 31st March 2017


Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

Hailing from the same West London folk scene as Mumford & Sons and Noah and the Whale, Bear’s Den brought their own brand of folk rock music to Rock City last night. Having now officially paired down from a trio to a duo consisting of Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones, they were joined on stage by four other talented musicians.

Touring to promote their second studio album, Red Earth & Pouring Rain, it was the title track that started the evening off. Performing a satisfying mix of songs taken from both of their albums, it was new songs Emeralds and Greenwoods Bethlehem that encouraged the crowd to sing along.

Whilst big songs like the emotional Elysium and Auld Wives were the obvious crowd pleasers, it was their uplifting harmonies and steely lyrics which drove their music along. With Davie’s soft vocals on the likes of Stubborn Beast and Berlin, there was evidence of just how talented they are.

With the first chords of Isaac from their debut album, Islands, the crowd went wild in appreciation of a song which ended beautifully with a lovely a capella outro. Finishing the set with the understated Ivor Novello gem, Above The Clouds Of Pompeii which was delivered with a beautiful vulnerability, they were back on stage to showcase their new single, Dew On The Vine which made a particularly strong impression.

Bringing the set to a close with a delightful acoustic version of Bad Blood, it was Islands opener Agape which garnered the biggest cheer of the evening and had the entire venue singing along.

Having spent most of the past five years touring whilst cultivating and evolving their sound, Bear’s Den are a band that has now decisively come into their own. With their energy and charisma never waning, they presented a superb performance which has solidified their hard earned and rightful reputation as a must seen band.