Bearfoot Beware

Bearfoot Beware

Bearfoot Beware are a UK math rock, pop and punk group from Leeds. The band forms in 2010 and consists of Tom Bradley on guitar and vocals, Richard Vowden on bass and vocals, and Michael Osborne on drums.

Style and early approach

The group develops from a shared interest in post-hardcore and math rock, and its early music combines odd pop ideas with angular post-punk and mathematical structures. Their sound is associated with a mix of tight, shifting rhythms and an eclectic approach that keeps a distinctive character.

Debut album

Their debut album, World Owes You Nowt, is written over nine months. The band refines much of the material by playing songs live in the UK and mainland Europe, adjusting structures and chords in response to their own reactions and audience response. The recording takes place over six days at Greenmount Studios in Leeds, a predominantly analogue studio.

Lyrically, Tom Bradley writes about dystopian fantasies and frustration with human apathy. The album is recorded with engineers Lee Smith and Jamie Lockhart, both of whom have worked with Pulled Apart By Horses, The Cribs and Forward Russia. Mastering is completed by Jeff Lipton, whose credits include Battles, LCD Soundsystem and Lightning Bolt.

Live activity and associations

Bearfoot Beware play in a range of settings, including pop-up shows in communal squats, run-down toilet venues and established venues. They share stages with Pulled Apart By Horses, Ought, and Maps & Atlases.

Musical references

Their later sound is described as resembling Fugazi, Faraquet and At the Drive-In while still keeping its own idiosyncratic approach.