Image Courtesy of Bear’s Den

Our love of UK nu-folk trio Bear’s Den is older than the band itself. Cherbourg, a band which featured two of Bear’s Den’s members (Andrew Davie and Kevin Jones), was one of the first artists we covered on Timber and Steel and we’ve been following the work of its members ever since they parted ways in in 2010.

Bear’s Den are currently in Australia supporting Matt Corby on his national tour as well as a couple of headline shows. We caught up with multi-instrumentalist Kev Jones from the band after their Sydney shows to discuss the tour, the new EP Without/Within and Jones’ role as founder of record label and music community Communion.

Gareth Hugh Evans: Welcome to Australia! How are you finding it so far?

Kev Jones: We’re having a lovely time. We played the Horden Pavilion three nights ago and then we had one show two nights ago but then we’ve actually had some time off in Sydney which is quite unusual. We’ve been exploring a little bit, seeing the sites, getting some rest. It’s really nice to be here.

GHE: Is this your first trip to Australia? As Bear’s Den?

KJ: For all of us it’s our first time to Australia as a band and as individuals.

GHE: I’ve big fans of you guys right from the very beginning. When I first started Timber and Steel it was just as your and Andrew Davie’s previous band Cherbourg had finished. I started following Davie’s solo stuff and then when Bear’s Den came out of that I continued to make sure I was on top of everything you guys were doing. It feels like it’s been its been a fairly slow burn for Bear’s Den – it feels like you’ve taken to the slow and steady approach.

KJ: I think we’ve been quite careful. It’s very easy get over excited about the music you’re making and trying to push it too hard, too quickly. I was the bass player in Cherbourg so Davie and I have been working together for six or seven years now. It was always for us the question of “are we getting it right” before we really start running with it. Releasing little EPs has allowed ourselves to grow organically – that’s quite important to us.

GHE: Can I ask what the decision behind creating Bear’s Den as a new band rather than continuing with Cherbourg given both you and Davie are in both bands and the sound has its similarities? What makes Bear’s Den distinctive?

KJ: I just don’t think we worked out what we were trying to do with Cherbourg. I think we learnt a lot of lessons from it. It was quite a set formula with Cherbourg and I think we’re all multi-instrumentalists in Bear’s Den and it allows us to be a lot more fluid with the sort of sounds we can make and what we choose to do with them. The dynamics make more sense to us. It was really fun being in Cherbourg and we’re still close with the other guys – in fact Chris Maas who was the drummer in Cherbourg is now Matt Corby’s drummer so we’re actually hanging out at the moment. I think the way everything slots in with Bear’s Den makes more sense to us.

GHE: It feels like with Bear’s Den as well that you’re not tied to that indie-folk sound. The latest single, “Writing On The Wall”, is probably the least folky I’ve heard you guys. Was that a conscious decision – that’s Bear’s Den isn’t going to be pigeonholed as indie-folk?

KJ: To a point that’s true but I don’t think it’s conscious as such. It’s more just evolved from the fundamental philosophy that we’ve adopted to make sure we’re servicing a song correctly. Having a lot of multi-instrumentalists in the band means that we can decide to put some synth bass in it or drums or we can do little tiny instruments and the banjo thing. It’s not like a statement intent – it’s more “what does the song need?”.

GHE: You mentioned that you’re out here touring with Matt Corby. You’ve played with him in the UK as well yeah?

KJ: We have yeah. We toured with him last year.

GHE: Matt’s part of the same community as you guys with Communion and having similar friends through bands like Mumford and Sons. How’s it been touring with your mates?

KJ: It makes such a difference. For us as a band we’ve been on the road for eight weeks now so to arrive in a new country and deal with a whole new set of instruments and gear you have to get used to and getting in front of so many people can be quite intimidating. To be able to walk into a room and immediately be with your best mates really takes the edge off from a touring perspective. You’re able to slot in and everything runs much more fluidly. It’s really nice. And we’re working so hard at the moment the only way we get to see our friends is to tour with them. It’s the best thing every – it’s so nice to do that.

GHE: In Australia Matt Corby comes with a very very loyal fan base – and it’s a fan base that really embraces the other bands that Matt Corby tours and plays with. Have found that his fans have adopted you?

KJ: Yeah I think they have. It is quite early to say for sure. On the UK tour I certainly felt that we had a very warm welcome. His fans are all lovely.

GHE: You’re also playing Communion Melbourne while you’re out here which is part of the global Communion record label and community that you’re one of the founders of. It’s taken a while for Communion to kick off properly in Australia – there was Communion Sydney for a couple of months and then Communion Melbourne kicked off last year. Why do you think it’s take so long to establish in Australia?

KJ: I think it’s the same as anything that the label does – it’s all about finding the right people. Same philosophy that we have with Bear’s Den to be honest – you have to find the right combination of people. Melbourne Communion are just the greatest guys so as soon as we found them we were like “that makes sense” and off we go.

GHE: What I love about Communion as well is that it’s a global community. Obviously you guys are in the country this month so you’re able to play Communion Melbourne. And then when an Australian band who’s part of the Communion family here tours overseas they are invited to play at Communion in other cities.

KJ: Absolutely. What we’re trying to do is extend that family vibe wherever we go. That support network is crucial. It’s hard work being in a band – obviously it’s lots of fun as well – but there’s a lot of difficult times and when you’re able to refer to someone else who’s experienced the same thing as you or has advice, the stronger that network of people is the more everyone benefits from it and gets the support they need.

GHE: I’m chuffed that you guys chose to play a couple of headline shows while you’re out here, on top of the Matt Corby supports, in these smaller spaces.

KJ: The dream is to come back all the time and build relationships with our potential fans over here.

GHE: At the end of this month your new EP Without/Within comes out which follows on from Agape. Is the plan continue releasing EPs or is an album in the works?

KJ: We’re definitely working on an album in our heads. I don’t want to say for sure but I think when we get off this tour we’ll start looking at how we might approach making that. So yeah, we”re getting to a point where we’re ready to start I think.

GHE: I’m really liking what I’ve heard of Without/Within so far. When you’re putting together these EPs are they just a collection of your latest songs or are you putting tracks that “go together” on them?

KJ: It’s a very painstaking process actually. We like to tie things together lyrically and are very much always trying to create a body of work that exists. For us it’s important that we create something that’s hopefully bigger than just a bunch of songs. In terms of sonically and lyrically it’s quite a meticulous process for us.

GHE: Kev, thanks so much for taking to time to chat to me on one of your days off.

KJ: It’s lovely to speak to you.

Without/Within is due for release on the 1st November. The remaining dates of Bear’s Den’s tour with Matt Corby are below:

Wednesday 23rd October – GPAC Playhouse, Geelong, VIC
Thursday 24th October – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
Sunday 27th October – Arts centre, Fremantle, WA