Bear's Den celebrate tenth anniversary of debut album with "Above the Clouds of Pompeii" rework featuring Dermot Kennedy

To commemorate this significant anniversary, Bear's Den has teamed up with Dermot Kennedy to breathe new life into "Above the Clouds of Pompeii". Speaking about the original recording of "Above the Clouds of Pompeii", the band's Andrew Davie said, "It's about a trip I took with my dad, when I was a kid, to Pompeii. And my dad's mum had just passed away and my parents were going through a divorce...it was a very sad time and I remember, as a young boy looking up to my dad and trying to make him happier, that was kinda the story of the song and the idea of the song came from that".

Adding about Dermot Kennedy joining them, "Whilst it's a song with a lot of emotions for us as a band, hearing Dermot sing it, you get to listen to the song in a whole new way again and it's a really powerful feeling and that's the thing that's the most exciting about doing this to us, is getting to hear our song through the voice of Dermot but also through his perspective and his way of telling a story, through his incredible and it's just kind of blowing my mind."

"When I think back, I think the first time I ever heard this song I was in Switzerland and I was playing some shows at a pub every night kinda playing for 3 hours, 4 hours, it was this relentless kinda covers gig and even though I was happy to be doing it I realised I was quite, I wouldn't say I was hopeless, but I was very far from doing what I wanted to be doing and then I heard this song, and it just kinda hit me in a way that no other song had previously," adds Dermot Kennedy. "I feel it's a beautifully poignant song about the idea of grief or loss or just yearning and it's one of my favourite songs of all time, and so to be here singing on it, it feels incredible to me."

The tenth-anniversary edition of Islands will be available in several exclusive formats including an exclusive colour vinyl, limited edition double disc CD and vinyl which includes a disc of B-sides and rarities, as well as a box set for collectors which includes the double disc vinyl, a photobook, and a tiny 4-inch vinyl record. This 'tiny vinyl' features Dermot Kennedy's version of "Above the Clouds of Pompeii" and "Hard Life," originally from the band's very first bootleg CD release, the Cardigan EP, plus this release will mark the first time a fully playable 4" vinyl is available in the UK.

Bear's Den have also announced a string of live shows across Europe, set to start in March 2025 and including a night at London's Royal Albert Hall on 13 March.

Tracklist:

Islands B-sides disc tracklisting (for the double disc vinyl, the double CD and the box set vinyl):

SIDE A:

1. Above the Clouds Of Pompeii (Cardigan EP Version)
2. Bad Blood (Cardigan EP Version)
3. Sophie (Demo)
4. Writing on the Wall (Demo)
5. Horses Revisited (Demo)

SIDE B:

1. Hold On, We're Going Home
2. Stay With Me
3. Coffee
4. Don't Let The Sun Steal You Away (Live)
5. Sophie (Live)
6. Isaac (Live)

4" TINY VINYL

1. A side - Above the Clouds of Pompeii featuring Dermot Kennedy
2. B side - Hard Life