Bearsuit are an English art-rock/

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, England, active from 2001.

Biography

Bearsuit first came to public attention following their championing by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

, and their debut single "Hey Charlie, Hey Chuck" was voted number four in the Peel programme's

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

of 2001. They recorded four

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

in 2001 and 2002 and their single "Chargr" was number two in the first Festive Fifty after Peel's death. After their third album, ''oh:io'', in 2007, the band underwent a line-up change, swapped violins, flutes and horns for synths and guitars, brought in producer Gareth Parton (

the Go! Team The Go! Team are an English indie rock band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of the Go! Team's debut album, '' Thunder, Lightning, Strike'', Parton ...

Foals A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...

the Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ( ...

) and recorded the more pop-oriented album ''The Phantom Forest'' (released in 2011). First single from the album "Please Don't Take Him Back" was released in October 2010 on the UK label

Fortuna Pop! Fortuna POP! was an English independent music, independent record label based in London, started in 1995 by Sean Price. It specialised in indie pop music. Fortuna POP! previously promoted gigs under the banner of The Beat Hotel and then Basement ...

; it was playlisted on

BBC6 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

Music, received airplay on Radio 1 and XFM, and was reviewed in NME, Vice, Artrocker, Clash Magazine, and many more online. A free download single, "A Train Wreck", was released in December 2010 followed by "When Will I Be Queen" in March 2011. The band toured the UK in March and April, followed by a European Tour in July 2011. As well as touring extensively in the UK, the band toured the US, playing festivals including

Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festi ...

, The Great Escape and Offset, as well as several abroad including

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

, Emmaboda (Sweden),

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...

(Spain), Contempopranea (Spain) and CMJ in New York, where they were voted 'Best Breakthrough Act' in a

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

poll of badge-holders and received positive reviews, including

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

. The band also supported the likes of

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass. Crystal Castles was known for their chaotic live shows and lo-fi music, lo-fi melanc ...

Melt Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock and hardcore punk mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toure ...

, You Say Party,

Future of the Left Future of the Left are a British alternative rock band formed in Cardiff. The group consists of Mclusky members Andrew Falkous (vocals, guitar) and Jack Egglestone (drums) and former Million Dead bassist Julia Ruzicka. History Beginnings Fu ...

, Factory Floor and

Hot Chip Hot Chip is an English synth-pop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard (musician), Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former memb ...

. In addition to

Fantastic Plastic Records Fantastic Plastic Records is an independent record label based in London and Brighton. Fantastic Plastic was formed by lifelong music fan Darrin Robson in a County Down attic. Originally specialising in mail-order only rare and collectible reco ...

and Fortuna Pop, the band released records on Happy Happy Birthday to Me and Micro Indie in the US. Bearsuit were championed by BBC radio DJs including John Peel,

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...

Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

Rob Da Bank Robert John Gorham (born 24 June 1973 in Portsmouth, Hampshire), known by the pseudonym Rob da Bank, is an English DJ and co-founder of music festivals Bestival, originally on the Isle of Wight and now moved to Lulworth, Dorset and Camp Bes ...

Phill Jupitus Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''Given name#Name at birth, né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is a retired English stand-up comedy, stand-up and Improv comedy teacher, improv comedian, actor, performance poetry, performance poet, cartoonist and podc ...

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

Tom Ravenscroft Thomas James Dalglish Ravenscroft (born 6 February 1980) is a British radio presenter and disc jockey. He previously hosted a BBC Radio 6 Music show featuring new and unsigned music. He is the son of the late DJ John Peel. Career Working initi ...

Tom Robinson Living people Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits " Glad to Be Gay", " 2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with hi ...

Colin Murray Colin Murray (born Colin Wright on 10 March 1977) is a Northern Irish radio and television presenter. He has hosted the Channel 4 game show '' Countdown'' since 2022. Born and raised in Dundonald, east of Belfast, Murray first trained and wor ...

Gideon Coe Gideon Jon Quantrill Coe (born 22 September 1967) is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist. Early career He began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a child presenter on the BBC One TV programme '' Why Don't You? ...

and

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

on XFM. Accolades include scooping "Vinyl of the Week" in the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

, "Pick of the Week" in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', and 'Album of the Fortnight' in

Artrocker Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Machine. Having started life with an online newsletter and ev ...

. Members have also played in

the Polyphonic Spree The Polyphonic Spree is an American choral rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by singer/songwriter Tim DeLaughter. The band's pop and rock songs are augmented by a large vocal choir, and instruments such as flute, trumpet, ...

, Cruiser Chimps, Evader, Keytarded, Hyper Kinako, The Bavarian Rocket Group, Velvia, Tell Me How, the Aprons, Mega Emotion, Lady Di, P0VT3R and Invisible Cities. Following a hiatus from 2012, Bearsuit reformed to play at

Indietracks Indietracks was an annual indie pop music festival at the Midland Railway – Butterley, Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, England. The main site was located at Swanwick Junction railway station, Swanwick Junction. Bands played in variet ...

festival in 2016, and one of Fortuna POP's 'Twenty Years Of Trouble' farewell concerts in 2017.

Band members

*Lisa Horton — keyboards, vocals, accordion *Jan Robertson — guitar, keyboards, vocals, flute *Iain Ross — guitar, vocals *Emma Belka - drums (until 2001) *Cerian Hutchings (née Hamer) —

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

, violin, keyboards, vocals, piano, percussion *Matt Hutchings — drums *Matt Moss — bass (until 2004) (also a member of Lethargic Pigeon and The Rebeccas) *Richard Squires — bass, guitar, vocals *Charlene Katuwawala — bass guitar, vocals, keyboards *Joe Naylor — drums, vocals

Discography

Albums

*'' Cat Spectacular!'' (

, Microindie 2004) *''Team Ping Pong'' ( Fantastic Plastic, 2005) *''oh:io'' ( Fantastic Plastic,

Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records is an American independent record label based in Athens, Georgia. Its catalogue features indie rock, indie pop and hip-hop music, with several of its artists associated with or influenced by The Elephant 6 Reco ...

2007) *''The Phantom Forest'' (

, 2011)

Singles

*"Hey Charlie Hey Chuck" (Sickroom GC, 2001) *"Drinkink" (Sickroom GC, 2002) *"Stop What You're Doing What You're Doing Is Wrong" (Sickroom GC, 2002) *"Itsuko Got Married" (Bearslut recordings, 2003) *"The Bearsuit Jesus Will Spear You Through The Heart" EP (Fortuna Pop!, 2003) *"Chargr!" (Fortuna POP!, 2004) *"Steven Fucking Spielberg" (Fantastic Plastic, 2006) *"More Soul Than Wigan Casino" (Fantastic Plastic, 2007) No. 24 UK Indie *"Foxy Boxer" (Fantastic Plastic, 2007) No. 13 UK Indie *"Pushover" (Fantastic Plastic, 2008) *"Musclebelt" (Fantastic Plastic, 2009) *"Please Don't Take Him Back" (Fortuna POP!, 2010) *"A Train Wreck" (free digital download to mailing list, Fortuna Pop!, 2010) *"When Will I Be Queen" (Fortuna Pop!, 2011)

Compilation appearances

*''The Gazumper'' (Sickroom GC, 2001) *"Snowshoe" on ''Should you be singing Christmas songs?'' (Happy Capitalist, 2001) *"Come Around" on ''GoJonnyGoGoGoGo'' (2001) *"Drinkink" on ''Blip Anomaly'' (Sickroom GC, 2001) *"Poor Prince Neal" on ''GoJonnyGoGoGoGo2'' (2002) *"Little Donkey" on ''A Christmas Gift from Fortuna Pop!'' (Fortuna POP!, 2002) *"On Your Special Day" on ''I'm With Cupid'' (WIAIWYA records, 2004) *"Rodent Disco" on ''GoJonnyGoGoGoGo'' Favourites No. 1 (2005) *"Rodent Disco" (edited version) on ''Que Viva le Pop!'' (Elefant Records/Fortuna POP!, 2006) *"Itsuko Got Married" on ''Kat's Karavan: The History of John Peel on the Radio'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

, 2009)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bearsuit English indie rock groups English indie pop groups Fantastic Plastic Records artists