Hunter & The Bear are a band pioneering a new wave of DIY music, recording and releasing without a label and having complete control of their careers.

After Paul Smernicki suggested we chat to the boys in episode 016 of Thinky Thinky Make Make, he put us in touch and I scooted over to the Will and Jimmy from the band’s local pub, The Magic Garden in Battersea. It’s a lovely boozer, full of just-the-right-side-of-mental decor and with a huge beer garden (complete with an old taxi) out the back. We picked a table with a fairly nonplussed cat on it and hit record.

It’s impossible not to be impressed with the way Hunter & The Bear approach things. By their own admission they knew nothing about how the music industry worked, getting their first gigs without having even a demo to introduce them to promoters, and learning what to do along the way. Their approach has been old school in the sense that they’ve worked their hardest to be the best live band they can be, but they’ve complimented that with well researched and thought out social media strategies to engage their fans.

As the boys point out in the podcast, the aloof untouchable rock star is no longer what’s cool. People expect their musicians and their entertainers to be available and open digitally, and Hunter & The Bear are experts in that.

This episode of Thinky Thinky Make Make is a great one for young musicians wondering how to get their tunes out there, and an interesting listen for anyone with an interest in the nuts and bolts of how a career in a creative industry can be built from scratch.

If you want to dedicate your life to Hunter & The Bear you can follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, eye watch them on YouTube, and internet them on their website.

You can buy a copy of their excellent album Paper Heart here, or catch them on tour across the UK in November.

Thanks for listening,

Robbie xxx

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