Bear’s Den Gets Intimate With The Sinclair

Aiden Teplitzky Dobens ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Bear’s Den, an indie-folk band that used to open for Mumford & Sons, got super personal with a crowded Sinclair crowd. From the first note to the last, Bear’s Den impressed with their obvious musical ability coupled with a genuinely charismatic stage presence.

Founded only 2 years ago, Bear’s Den are three lads from London who just released their debut album, Islands, this October. An album as sincere as it is catchy, Islands isn’t anything revolutionary, but it isn’t trying to be. An earnest compilation of the perils of love in the modern age, Islands sounded better live than anyone could imagine.

Bear’s Den walked out on stage ominously lit by a dim blue light, and went straight into their vocal heavy folk rock. With one member playing lead banjo and the drummer often playing multiple instruments simultaneously, this was surely going to be a unique show.

They opened with perhaps their most lyrically compelling song, “Elysium.” An impressive number of audience members sang along with the album’s penultimate track.

Bear’s Den played nearly all the songs off Islands, along with a few older ones. The most entertaining song live was clearly “Above The Clouds Of Pompeii.” A truly breathtaking song, for the 4 minutes it took them to perform it there seemed a striking harmony between the audience and the band: there was a mutual understanding of the song’s raw beauty. Lead singer Andrew Davie’s intimate voice was a wonder to behold for the duration of their hour and fifteen minute set.

After they had seemingly concluded their performance, they had one last request: “Hey guys. We want to try to play a song in the crowd.” And amongst audible excitement from the audience, the three Brits squeezed their way into the middle of the crowd in the Sinclair to perform their final song, “Bad Blood.”

Truly an experience like no other, the entirety of the Sinclair held their breath as Bear’s Den performed a brilliant acoustic version of the last song on their album. Almost like a lullaby, the crowd whispered along at certain points of the chorus.

The Sinclair was given a night to remember as Bear’s Den laughed, sang, and frankly, amazed.