The Act: CHINA BEARS

The Release: ‘STAY FOR GOOD’

The Format: DIGITAL SINGLE

The Release Date: MARCH 22ND 2019

The Truth: China Bears were formed in Somerset in 2015 by twin brothers Ivan (guitar / vox) and Frazer (guitar). The line-up was completed after meeting bassist James and drummer Dean at university in Guildford later that year. ‘Stay For Good’ is their first single on fierce panda and it captures the band in barnstorming mode, rattling along with a belligerence which compounds the sense of loss and confusion lurking at the core of the song: “Walking back to yours gone midnight and I don’t know what’s worse / The freezing cold or every word that you keep saying is tearing us apart / The less I know love the less it hurts…”

Perhaps unsurprisingly drawing influence from bands such as The National, Dry The River, Frightened Rabbit and Snow Patrol, China Bears create misery-strewn indie anthems combining ambient guitars, choral vocals and raw lyric writing. The end result is a fantastically precise sound which takes the original emo loud / quiet template of, say, Death Cab For Cutie, but adds a stadium-sized sonic suckerpunch. All of which is evinced by their forthcoming EP which will be with us in the summer as their new label home celebrates its 25th birthday. China Bears on fierce panda…this release really was meant to be.

Happily China Bears have already self-released three supple singles, ‘Meet Me In London’, ‘Hydra’ and ‘Night Calls’, with airplay from Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq on BBC 6music, John Kennedy on Radio X and Melita Dennett via BBC Introducing in The South. Along the way they’ve had notable support slots with acts such as Genghar, The Districts, To Kill A King, The Howl & The Hum, Declan McKenna, The Big Moon, Blackwaters and West Country soulmates October Drift, in whose Temple Studios they recorded ‘Stay For Good’.

China Bears are currently based in Buckinghamshire. See them bare their souls on the road here, here and there:

April
16th - Brighton - Sofar Sounds
17th - Reading - Purple Turtle - BBC Introducing show
20th - London - SOMA FEST
25th - Bath - Pig & Fiddle

May
1st - London - Sofar Sounds
4th - London - Sofar Sounds
9th-10th - Brighton - The Great Escape
(3 Wise Cats @ Casablanca Jazz Bar, onstage 1.15pm)
18th - Aylesbury - QPAC
20th - London - Sofar Sounds

June
8th - Headley - Hyfest
15th - Derby - Wildside Festival

July
5th - Cornbury - Cornbury Festival
6th - Dorking - The Big Bash
13th - Thame - Thame Festival
21st - Cheltenham - Frog & Fiddle s/ andy oliveri and the mountaineers

August
18th - Farnham - Weyfest

September
4th - London - Sebright Arms - EP release

"A bunch of strong sounding melodies" Steve Lamacq, BBC 6music

"Such good song-writers" Melita Dennett, BBC Introducing South

"Brilliant, I wish I sounded like that at my stage of their career" Frank Turner

www.chinabears.co.uk
www.facebook.com/chinabearsband
www.fiercepanda.co.uk