Eliza and the Bear

Yes they are named after a collection of poems, and no there is no one called Eliza and/or a bear in their band (although a bear would be a great addition). It’s refreshing to find some good old fashioned indie music, compared to the ongoing desire for conformity from many bands.

Sold out gigs, festival tours – these are 5 guys who just want to produce great music, and so far they most definitely are.

Eliza And The Bear took time out their relenting schedule to answer a few questions - exclusively for Festival for You.

FFY: First album is done. How would you describe the feeling of finishing it?

EB: It's a great feeling but at the same time it's kind of daunting. It's effectively the culmination of 3 years work that we have slaved over. We’re just feeling really proud and excited to show people what we've been up to all this time.

FFY: Y Not Festival looked amazing last year, how was that and what festivals will you be playing at (or going to) this year?

EB: This was probably our favourite show from the festival run last year. We happened to be on the same stage as plenty of our friends and ended up drawing a crowd that was far more than we expected. As for playing it this year I cannot confirm. If we don't I wouldn't think twice about popping along!

FFY: So this website is all about getting lesser known festivals, known. How important do you feel it is for these festivals to keep going?

EB: I think it's extremely important. Festival season has always been so good to us and just seems to rise in popularity every year. It gives bands the chance to showcase their material somewhere new and on occasion have some sun involved (sunshine not guaranteed)

FFY: If you could create your own festival what would be the top 3 essentials and who would headline?

EB: My essentials would have to be:

Good Food - some festivals have nailed this one by having all homemade food with an interesting variety and it's so much better than having stale burgers/hot dogs.

Excessive amounts of toilets - nothing worse than losing out on your festival time because the toilet queue is 4 hours.

Escalators - you know the kind you get at airports? The ones that roll along the floor and get you there quicker? That would be awesome in between stages!

As for headline I would say a toss up between Alt J and Justin Beiber.

FFY: With you guys continuing to rise in popularity, I’m excited to see what your plans are for this year. What’s in store?

EB: We have the album coming out later this year so we've got our heads down working towards that. That will also come with a headline tour at the end of the year plus some shows scattered across the summer. Exciting times!

If this has only wetted your appetite, visit their website to find out more!

www.elizaandthebear.com