ANYONE who enjoyed Eliza and the Bear’s performance at Nibley Festival a couple of years ago will be pleased to hear that the boys are back in the area for a gig at Bristol’s Fleece next month.

It’s been four years of hard work for the London five-piece, but with tours supporting the likes of Imagine Dragons and Paramore under their belts, as well as Festival appearances too numerous to mention, Eliza and the Bear are finally making themselves heard in the saturated indie rock market.

But there is no 'Eliza' in Eliza and the Bear; the name came from the title of a collection of poetry by Liverpuddlian post Eleanor Rees – herself a big fan of the London boys’ music.

“Right now we’re focussing on the album and spending a lot of time in the studio,” says lead vocalist and guitarist James Kellegher, who together with Callie Noakes (vocals, keyboards), Martin Dukelow (vocals, guitar), Chris Brand (bass) and Paul Kevin Jackson (drums), make up this most sought-after of bands.

“If you’ve got these opportunities you’ve really got to work hard to make the most of them”, says James. “We are currently spending five days a week in the studio, but I would do more if necessary. It's hard work but hopefully will pay off in the end.

“When we supported Paramore it was because Hayley Williams (lead singer) wanted more of a pop edge to her gigs – her other support was Charlie XSX – and our influences definitely overlap. We’re all about the pop, it’s not a dirty word anymore and is of equal measure melody and lyrics.”

And although James has plenty of creative input in the band, he refuses to take credit for what he believes the band do as a whole.

“We like to keep it as a band effort so we’ve always got new ideas and it never gets stale,” says James.

“Occasionally the our producer comes in with a few suggestions but we generally just jam things out – it’s what we’ve learnt to do over the years”

Eliza and the Bear are coming to Bristol’s Fleece on October 6. Visit www.thefleece.co.uk/events/eliza-the-bear-special-guests for more details and tickets.