We Raise Bears

"Defiantly a band to keep an eye on, they immediately stand out from the crowd" - Chris Jones (BBC)

"A fitting follow on from recent political upheaval, angrily condemning modern politics and technology’s damaging intrusion on social interaction...powerful lyrics, haunting vocals" - Hot Press Magazine

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In the midst of their current Irish Tour, We Raise Bears release a live video for Take Me To The River.

Take Me To The River addresses internet culture that, particularly with the arrival and wholesale prominence of social media, has taken on a faux moral superiority, previously the hallmark of tabloid media and large authoritarian institutions like the Catholic Church. A culture of blame pervades. Everybody can say and publish what they want, when they want about whatever they want, safe in the anonymity of an online alias and the abdication of personal responsibility that the mob provides. Earlier drafts of Take Me To The River explored the toxic atmosphere that enveloped Ireland during an economic crisis where people searched for figures to blame, egged on by certain arms of the media more than happy to scapegoat particular groups, whether it be the public sector or the unemployed. Redrafts of the song have followed recent world events, where the long fought for liberal values of equality and egalitarianism have come under threat from the same instruments of misinformation and hatred that litter the comments pages and blogs the world over. In an age of unprecedented access to information and knowledge we are more polarised than ever before, while detailed algorithms mean we only ever see and hear what we want to see and hear. Meanwhile, the corporations that write these algorithms continue to profit from our personal information.

 
We Raise Bears are an indie band from Dublin. Their music has continued to gain critical attention, with BBC Radio recently attributed it with having "such a uniqueness in sound, a character, a confidence and an intelligence as well". Conor Miley's politically-edged lyricism has been described as “stunning” (Dublin Concerts). Take Me To The River showcases a recently expanded four-piece band line up, as Miley and co-founding member Sharon Murphy have been joined by Shane Holly (Jennifer Evans) and Niall Honohan (Tin Fishes, Neon Flea Circus).

In November 2016, We Raise Bears released a well-received debut EP, which gained airplay across BBC radio, RTE radio 1, 2FM and TXFM, as well as on Irish and UK regional stations. We Raise Bears have headlined venues around the country and appeared at festivals that include Hard Working Class Heroes, Other Voices, Canalaphonic, Electric Picnic, Vantastival, Ones to Watch.

The band continues an Irish tour this summer which will see them headline venues like Roscommon Arts Centre, Bennigans Jazz Club (Derry), Kenny’s Bar (Lahinch), Nelliefreds (Dingle) and Galway Fringe Festival.