Earnest folk rock is best likened to a tightrope walk; honest lyrics with forceful instrumentation without being cloying is a delicate balance to maintain. London’s Bear’s Den played the Sinclair last week ahead of the Thanksgiving long weekend, and fortunately, the band didn’t fall off the tightrope.
The band is touring in support of its debut album, Islands, released in October on Communion Records. It’s a very solid record and the live show really augments that studio work — the trio, which is touring as a five-piece, is dynamic and kinetic on stage. The sound is on par with what’s heard on record, and in order to recreate that multi-instrument sound, it required agility. The drummer would play kick drum while playing backing guitar, for instance.
Bear’s Den’s sound is best compared with contemporaries Frightened Rabbit in terms of heart-on-sleeve anthems and harmonies. On certain songs, a clear influence from The National can be heard. “Think Of England” best represents the center of the Frightened Rabbit-The National Venn diagram: “learn to feign your feelings” reads like a lyric on a Frightened Rabbit B-Side and the horn section at the end of the song is very reminiscent of “Fake Empire” by The National.
But the big bonus here is seeing this band in person, which is something that you should do if you’ve seen and enjoyed either of the aforementioned acts. Frontman Andrew Davie and guitarist Joey Haynes in particular have a fun stage presence and worked the crowd well. One particular moment was when the band lamented the deportation of opener Christof earlier that day. When a crowd member yelled “Free Christof!” the band laughed and played along (later tweeting that #FreeChristof should be trending).
When the band closed with an unplugged encore of “Bad Blood” on the floor of The Sinclair, it sealed them as a band that you should see.
Dan Mangan + Blacksmith was not deported, so the band was the only opener for the evening. The Canadian band, stripped down to a trio instead of its normal configuration of about seven or eight, drew a devoted crowd of its own. It’s no wonder, as the group delivered on complex instrumentation and introspective lyrics.
When Mangan asked the crowd if it had any questions, there were requisite song requests, but one stood out — a (platonic) request to sit on Mangan’s face. This feels worth noting, but not commenting on. Nevertheless, the antics and the music makes Mangan a worthy show.
Look out for new Bear’s Den tour dates.
