British rock band Hunter & The Bear got started when frontman Will Irvine moved to London from the Highlands of Scotland in search of a musical scene that doesn’t exist in his tiny hometown of Achiltibuie. With the plan to gain experience through playing every night, he was soon joined by bassist Chris Clark, drummer Gareth Thompson and guitarist John Caddick recently completing the lineup.
The band immediately found themselves playing gigs up and down the country and after their debut release in 2017 which reached no. 7 in the iTunes Rock Chart, the boys now have a few sold out UK tours under their collective belt. Add to that a handful of slots at festivals such as Reading & Leeds, TRNSMT and The Great Escape, there is no doubt that this band are headed in the right direction and that ears are rightly pricking up whenever they are mentioned.
The touring from their first release culminated in their biggest run of shows to date which saw the band sell out venues like Scala in London, Gorilla in Manchester and The Garage in Glasgow at the end of 2018. After taking the first half of this year to write and record new material with Grammy nominated producer Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Twin Atlantic, Funeral For A Friend) they are now busy preparing for a highly anticipated second release.
There is a feeling of inevitability surrounding Hunter & The Bear’s rise to the top and that’s why there’s a palpable sense of impatience from anybody who’s heard of them when it comes to the release of this new music. It would be an understatement to say that these boys have lofty ambitions. However, with the drive and energy they’ve shown so far, you can’t help feeling that the sky is the limit.
