Fight The Bear

Fight The Bear

Fight The Bear is an indie rock band from Bishops Castle in Shropshire, England. The group forms in 2004 and remains active. Its members grow up in rural Shropshire, in villages around Bishops Castle, and several of them know each other from primary school before they start playing instruments together.

Formation and early years

In summer 2004, singer Jonny Keeley, guitarist Jamie Furber, bassist Ben Beddoes and drummer Duncan Burns begin writing original songs together. Their early sound draws on early Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Californian punk band Sublime.

Recordings and releases

In 2005 the band records its first EP, which leads to a debut album called Gutter Love. At that point the group is unsigned and self-financed, relying on gig income and pressing small runs of 100 CDs at a time. The album is taken to shows around the country.

After several years of touring and around three hundred gigs, the band returns to the studio in January 2009 and spends six weeks at Foel Studio in the Welsh hills. After further recording and mixing, it releases its second independent album, Dead Sea Fruit, in December 2009. That record reflects a more distinctive songwriting style and a sound that moves towards a less easily defined genre.