Live Review: Bear's Den - Union Chapel, London 26/11/2023
Bear’s Den. Union Chapel. Two new heartfelt, stripped back EPs. What could be better?
With both the fantastic fourth album ‘Blue Hours’ and their heartbreaking soundtrack to Apple TV’s ‘Trying’ season 3 dropping last year, fans were convinced they’d have to wait at least a few more years for ursine enthusiasts, folk-turned-rock-turned-gentle-indie legends Bear’s Den to release any more music. But nope — this year has seen not just one but two beautifully acoustic EPs in the form of ‘First Loves’ and ‘White Magnolias’, which also came with the announcement of a teeny tiny tour of two nights in New York and two nights in London. Which sold out, and became three. Which, again, sold out — London then becoming four.
Understandable, really, for these weren’t just any old shows. These were intimate shows, at New York’s Public Records and London’s Union Chapel respectively. And we were lucky enough to be at London’s first date.
Each date of the band’s London residency had a different support, and in Sunday’s case, the already fully formed crowd were graced by Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon. With the rows of pews populated by already perched, palpably excited — and often drenched, given the typically maudlin November weather outside — fans, his appearance brought out one hell of a cheer.
It’s normal by this point for acts playing Union Chapel to have voices fit for the church: the acoustics are amazing, harmonies reverberating through the room and enhancing the naturally good voices that perform there. But it’s rare for them to have the looks too. Jacob did in spades… because the singer was dressed as an Angel. With big fuzzy wings sprouting from his back, and a gold laurel wreath acting as his halo, his heavenly vocals echoed through the church, the singer’s soft, dulcet voice nothing short of mesmerising under the iconic stain glass window towering above. It wasn’t a ‘traditional’ set — the singer seemed a little overwhelmed by the venue, unsure of his own timings and a little shy — but, musically, it was entrancing. Armed with nothing but a few guitars, the emotion on display left the singer seeming distinctly vulnerable, and all the more beautiful for it.
Granted, there was a slight whimsical, lilting feel to the set which sometimes left the crowd a little uncertain with how to react, but what else would you expect from someone with wings, a ringlet and a bouquet of flowers attached to their microphone? A fantastic, and certainly unique, start to the night, and one doubly impressive given the singer is yet to have the benefit of any released songs and a familiar audience.
And then, of course, came Bear’s Den. With the two-piece joined by long term friend and touring band mate Christof Van Der Ven, the band wasted in no time in getting started, launching straight into the gentle ‘Frightened Whispers’, and whisking the Chapel crowd away on a soundscape of emotion, the trio meandering between their eras — 2019’s ‘Laurel Wreath’ into stand-alone single ‘Berlin’, and back to Blue Hours’ ‘On Your Side’. But, as good as the performances were, it was the sense of intimacy that made the set; the touches of storytelling, Andrew Davie a soft-spoken raconteur regaling the crowd with the behind the scenes tales of inspiration, like ‘On Your Side’ coming from a mixture of being lost in yourself… and stealing some lyrics from an afternoon movie marathon, or ‘The Star of Bethnal Green’ owing its name to Apple’s voice memo naming feature and a nearby Hackney pub.
Saying that, it didn’t hurt when the band started bringing on guests. Because, of course, it wouldn’t be a Bear’s Den gig without some horns! How could they play ‘Elysium’ without the triumphant blares of a trumpet, or the building crescendo of ‘Above the Clouds of Pompeii’? But the inclusion of a string quartet, joining the band for the emotional ‘Isaac’, the poignant, piano-led newcomer ‘Evelyn’ or fan favourite ‘Crow’, among others, was a stroke of genius, and something that Davie himself said that they’d been wanting to pull off for a good while. And, although the stage may have seemed cramped — with closer ‘Only You’, a cover of Yazoo's classic, having three horns, four strings, three bears and an Angel making up eleven on the stage — it never felt too much.
Ironically, though, the highlights of the night ended up being the more typical fare of the trio in the form of laid bare, stripped back ones, with the adorning accompaniments taking a break — ‘Agape’, played off stage directly in front of the front row of the crowd, and a rare airing of ‘Her Tears’, played unplugged were truly incredible, as much as by the contrast with the rest of the set's grandeur as they were in a vacuum.
Ultimately, the whole night was a celebration of the band — who they are, where they’ve been, and where they’re going. And long may the story continue.
Words by James O’Sullivan
