CHINA BEARS – up and coming on cool indie Fierce Panda – haven’t had the best run of luck this year.
Firstly, their appearance at Austin, Texas’s acclaimed SXSW festival in March, for which were booked to play a number of slots, fell victim to, y’know, the thing; the consolation of a spring tour became the consolation of an autumn tour became dates next year (see below for the details).
It’s not been a great year so far for a breaking band – which is a proper shame in the case of China Bears, twins Ivan, guitarist and vocalist, guitarist Frazer, who are joined in the quartet by bassist James and drummer Dean: cos they ply a cracking line in indie guitar pop – and by indie guitar pop I mean noisy and head-shaking and arms-aloft and chiming.
Take a listen to our embed of “Statue Still”, which they’ve just released ahead of their forthcoming EP of the same name and their second for Fierce Panda. You can hear that LOUD-quiet-LOUD guitar work bustin’ it up big in a field with ciders and grinning strangers, can’t you? Sigh ….
It follows on from the big and shoegazey-leaning track they dropped in time for the cancelled SXSW shows, “I’m Not Eating Like I Used To”.
“‘Statue Still’ is written about those initial stages of loss and healing,” says singer Ivan.
“For me it’s like the feeling you get after you watch a great film in the cinema. The film is over and you now have to go home, but you just want to stay in that theatre and be in that world for a little while longer. You’re aware it’s over but you didn’t want it to end and you weren’t ready, so you’re just stuck in that in-between.
“You can’t stay forever though, and it’s better to walk yourself out than the ushers coming to remove you.”
The Bears’ twice-postponed tour has now been rescheduled as follows: all tickets for the original dates remain valid.
Thursday, March 4th, Hope & Ruin, Brighton;
Friday, March 5th, The Boileroom, Guildford;
Thursday, March 11th, The Sebright Arms, London, and
Friday, March 12th, The Lanes, Bristol.
Additional dates are in the pipeline.
Keep up with China Bears on Facebook, their website, Twitter and Instagram.
