Bear’s Den at Union Chapel

West-London formed duo Bear’s Den opened their autumn evening gig with the saddening tune Frightened Whispers, from their album Blue Hours released last year. The track takes you on a journey discussing difficulties faced when two people are no longer able to connect or communicate, or feel too afraid to anymore.

The set for the night was relatively simple; with the magnificent Union Chapel already providing a pretty impressive backdrop, there wasn’t much that needed to be added. The artists came onto the stage without a word and began their opening track with just guitars and vocals.

A special moment came when two horns joined the band on stage for Elysium and delivered the unique musical element for the genre of folk that many will associate with Bear’s Den’s discography – it’s hard to imagine a Bear’s Den track without a wistful trumpet playing along in the background. The horns remained on stage to provide accompaniment for many other tracks throughout the evening, upping the energy in the room by building powerful, layered choruses.

The band also commonly features strings in their tracks. Sure enough, they were joined by a live string ensemble for Isaac, consisting of three violins and a cello. The addition of live strings created a sound that melted harmoniously with the vocals, guitars and horns to create a relaxing listen.

Lead singer Andrew Davie mentioned how special it was to have a third vocalist up at the front of the stage, who was usually their drummer sitting at the back. Between the three of them, the group delivered blissful three-part harmonies that echoed through the church and sending a tingle up your spine, particularly on the track Loneliness.

Davie led any talking from the band’s end throughout the evening, charming the room with his quiet, humorous manner. The audience were drawn in at every song, listening quietly and attentively, something Davie jokingly mentioned his appreciation of.

Bear’s Den ended their set list with the iconic Above the Clouds of Pompeii, a heart-wrenching song about experiencing loss throughout your life and how one copes with this, particularly from a male perspective where emotional displays can feel vulnerable and frightening. 

The band ended to huge cheers and deafening clapping. They returned to the stage for a beautifully delivered encore of Agape and a cover of Yazoo’s Only You, the latter of which was sung with Jacob Alon. It’s safe to say the crowd were blown away by the evening – it’ll be exciting to see what else the band has yet to deliver on their musical journey.

Emily Downie
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Bear’s Den’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Above the Clouds of Pompeii here: