Eliza And The Bear

The London-based five-piece Eliza and the Bear came together in 2011 when songwriters James Kellegher on lead vocals and guitar and Callie Noakes on vocals and guitar started collaborating on material after their previous bands dissolved. Friends Martin Dukelow on guitar, Chris Brand on bass, and Paul Kevin Jackson on drums soon joined the lineup, enabling the group to begin performing in venues across London. Although the band name initially puzzled listeners because no member was called Eliza, it actually stemmed from a poetry collection by Eleanor Rees that had influenced them. Their lively indie folk style merged the energetic folk-pop approach of Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers with densely arranged instrumentation inspired by Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. Digitally issued "Brother's Boat" preceded their first single, "Upon the North," which surfaced in 2013. Later the same year they supported Paramore on a U.K. tour that included a show at sold-out Wembley Arena. Early 2014 brought widespread predictions of success from the British music press alongside the Capitol Records release of "It Gets Cold." The label followed with the summer launch of the band's debut EP, Light It Up, and the self-titled full-length album arrived in April 2016. Nationwide touring filled the balance of that year and the first half of 2017 to promote the record. Also in 2017 the group ended its association with Capitol and began writing and recording the next album, Group Therapy. Lyrics on that release addressed heartache and anxiety, struggles all four members faced in separate ways during the period, and Be-Known Music issued the album, which included the single "First Aid."