This week saw Bear's Den nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically - and frontman Andrew Davie tells us of 'the honour' to be recognised alongside the likes of Hozier and Ben Howard.
Watch our interview with Bear's Den in the video above
Bear's Den are up for the much-desired award for 'Above The Clouds Of Pompei', alongside Hozier's 'Take Me To Church' and Ben Howard's 'I Forget Where We Were'.
"I'd say the Ivor Novellos are really unique, and a very special thing," said Bear's Den frontman Andrew Davie. "I guess it's all about songwriting, it's all about peer recognition and it's judged by songwriters opposed to anything else or anyone else. I think that's something I care about more than anything else. It's something that I get the most enjoyment out of and work the hardest at so I feel pretty humbled by it all, I'm pretty stoked."
When asked about how to measure 'the power of a song' in 2015, Davie replied: "Sometimes it might take a year, sometimes it might take five years, or it might never happen, but I just think good music connects with people. People talk about those songs a lot. Hopefully that's something that doesn't go away with chart positions and things like that, and I think that's something that's more lingering and lasting perhaps."
Speaking of the success of 'Above The Clouds Of Pompeii', Davie said: "I can't really put my finger on it. It doesn't feel drastically different to many of the songs we play live, but it's a story and I guess that if you're writing stories in your songs, it's whether you're telling the story well enough and people are getting invested in the story well enough to see the impact of the song on you."
Of being recognised alongside Hozier and Ben Howard, he mused: "It feels very strange. They're amazing, amazing songwriters and I feel just really honoured to be in the same category and a nominee with these guys. I know them both, I've met Hozier a couple of times in America, and I've known Ben Howard for a couple of years now, and I just think they're incredible. I absolutely lovely their songs."
Watch our interview with Bear's Den in the video above
Watch our full interview with Bear's Den above, as they discuss the honour of the Ivors, newfound exposure to new fans, what they learned from Mumford & Sons and their plans for new material.
The winners of the Ivor Novellos will be announced at a London ceremony on 21 May. See the full list of nominations below.
Best Song Musically and Lyrically
Above The Clouds of Pompeii
Written by Andrew Davie
Performed by Bear’s Den
I Forget Where We Were
Written and Performed by Ben Howard
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
Take Me to Church
Written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne
Performed by Hozier
Published in the UK by Sony/ATV Music Publishing – The Evolving Music Company
Best Contemporary Song
Every Other Freckle
Written by Thomas Green, Joe Newman and Gus Unger-Hamilton
Performed by alt-J
Published in the UK by Kobalt Music Publishing
Rather Be
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Two Weeks
Written by Tahliah Debrett Barnett and Emile Haynie
Performed by FKA Twigs
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis / Universal Music Publishing
PRS for Music Most Performed Work
Budapest
Written by George Ezra Barnett and Joel Pott
Performed by George Ezra
Published in the UK by BMG Chrysalis
Rather Be
Written by James Napier and Jack Patterson
Performed by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Stay With Me
Written by James Napier, William Phillips and Sam Smith
Performed by Sam Smith
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing – Salli Isaak Songs – Method Paperwork / Naughty Words Ltd – Stellar Songs Ltd – Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Album Award
Present Tense
Written by Thomas Fleming, Ben Little, Christopher Talbot and Hayden Thorpe
Performed by Wild Beasts
Published in the UK by Domino Publishing Company
Royal Blood
Written by Michael Kerr and Ben Thatcher
Performed by Royal Blood
Published in the UK Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
So Long, See You Tomorrow
Written by Jack Steadman
Performed by Bombay Bicycle Club
Published in the UK by Imagem Music
Best Original Film Score
‘71
Composed by David Holmes
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
Mr. Turner
Composed by Gary Yershon
Published in the UK by Universal Music Publishing
The Boxtrolls
Composed by Dario Marianelli
Published in the UK by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
Best Television Soundtrack
The Honourable Woman
Composed by Natalie Holt and Martin Phipps
Published in the UK by Imagem FTV / Du Vinage Publishing
The Mill - Series 2
Composed by Samuel Sim
Published in the UK by Du Vinage Publishing / Sony/ATV Music Publishing
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher – Beyond the Pale
Composed by Edmund Butt
Published in the UK by Bucks Music Group / Imagem FTV
