Art Bears were an avant-garde rock group from the United Kingdom formed dur… Read Full Bio ↴Art Bears were an avant-garde rock group from the United Kingdom formed during the disassembly of Henry Cow in 1978 by three of its members, Fred Frith on guitar, bass, violin, and keyboards, Chris Cutler on percussion, electronics, and lyrics, and Dagmar Krause on vocals. The group released three studio albums between 1978 and 1981, and toured Europe in 1979. After their third album in 1981, they disbanded, although Cutler and Frith continue to play concerts together as a duo.

The Art Bears' music was often deeply political in content, reflecting the bands' socialist leanings, and frequently experimental. Art Bears were more "song oriented" than Henry Cow, although much of the material that comprised their debut album release was actually written with the intention of being performed by Henry Cow.

Art Bears were formed during the recording of Henry Cow's last album after disagreements arose over the album's content. Frith and Cutler favoured song-oriented material, while others in the band wanted instrumental compositions. As a compromise, Frith, Cutler and Krause agreed, early in 1978, to release the songs already created on their own album, Hopes and Fears, under the name Art Bears, with the rest of Henry Cow credited as guests. The instrumental material appeared later on the final Henry Cow album, Western Culture (1979).

Hopes and Fears (1978) thus consisted of Henry Cow songs plus new Art Bears material recorded later by Frith, Cutler and Krause to complete the album. Towards the end of 1978, Art Bears returned to the studio to record their first "true" album, Winter Songs (1979). It comprised fourteen short songs composed by Frith around texts by Cutler that were based on carvings on the stylobate of the Amiens Cathedral in France.

In December 1978, Art Bears joined Rock in Opposition (RIO), and toured Europe in April and May 1979. For the tour, they added Peter Blegvad (ex-Slapp Happy, guitar, bass guitar, voice) and Marc Hollander (Aksak Maboul, keyboards, clarinet) to their line-up, and rehearsed at the Cold Storage Recording Studios in Brixton, London before leaving for Italy in late April. They performed in Italy, France, Belgium and Czechoslovakia, including an RIO festival on the 1st of May in Milan. Some of the songs recorded during the tour were later added to the album release of Hopes and Fears and The Art Box (2003), a box set of Art Bears material.

The band returned to the studio in 1980 to make one final album, The World as It Is Today (1981), before splitting up. In October 1983 Frith, Cutler and Krause reunited again, this time with Heiner Goebbels and Alfred Harth from Cassiber, Tom Cora and from Skeleton Crew, and George Lewis from the ICP Orchestra under the name "Duck and Cover". The ensemble was initially commissioned for the 1983 Moers Festival at the request of festival director Burkhard Hennen to Alfred Harth, but the group only materialised later that year after another commission by the Berlin Jazz Festival. "Duck and Cover" performed a 40-minute musical piece entitled "Berlin Programme" at the Berlin Jazz Festival in October 1983 in West Berlin, and again at the Festival des Politischen Liedes (Festival of Political Song) in East Berlin in February 1984. The second performance was recorded by Rundfunk der DDR (East German Radio) and broadcast nationally. An edited version of the broadcast was released in September 1985 on one side of the "Rē Records Quarterly Vol.1 No.2" LP record. In 1993 Frith, Cutler and Krause worked together again on a song project, "Domestic Stories" (1993) by Chris Cutler and Lutz Glandien, with saxophonist Alfred Harth. While similar to Art Bears, the addition of Glandien's electronic music made "Domestic Stories" a distinctly different album.

An Art Bears "review" took place in May 2008 at the world premiere of the Art Bears Songbook at the 25th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. It was performed by Cutler (drums), Frith (guitar, bass guitar, violin, piano), Jewlia Eisenberg (voice), Carla Kihlstedt (violin, voice), Zeena Parkins (keyboards, accordion), Kristin Slipp (voice) and The Norman Conquest (sound manipulation). Krause had been unable to participate and Frith and Cutler decided to rework the trio's repertoire for an expanded group, with the voices of Eisenberg, Slipp and Kihlstedt replacing Krause's "eccentric and idiomatic delivery". The project was so-named because Frith and Cutler did not want it to be seen as an Art Bears reunion. According to All About Jazz the Art Bears Songbook was "not just a highlight, but the highlight of the [five day] festival."

The Tube
Art Bears Lyrics

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Lines flicker, pictures vanish.
On the street a window opens wide.
The Horn says:
Come Out
The street is silent.
The Horn Says:
It's Only a Matter of Time

The world is watching

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Art Bears’ song The Tube are heavily metaphorical and can be interpreted in a number of ways. On the surface level, the song seems to be describing the experience of watching television. The “lines flicker” and “pictures vanish” could be a reference to the poor quality of the signal, or to the fleeting nature of the content. Meanwhile, the “window” that “opens wide” could be a reference to the television screen itself.

However, the song also seems to be making a broader comment on the state of the world. The “Horn” in the lyrics could be interpreted as a megaphone, or a symbol for the media, which is urging people to “come out” and pay attention to what is happening in the world. The “street” being “silent” could be a sign that people are ignoring the Horn’s call to action. Ultimately, the Horn’s message seems to be that change is inevitable, and that people must be prepared for it.

Overall, The Tube is a haunting and powerful song that combines elements of social commentary, political critique, and personal reflection. The lyrics are sparse and poetic, but carry a deep emotional weight that can be felt in the haunting melody and driving rhythm.

Line by Line Meaning

Lines flicker, pictures vanish.
Images on the television screen are constantly changing and disappearing.

On the street a window opens wide.
Someone in the street opens a window, suggesting an opportunity for fresh air and new perspectives.

The Horn says: Come Out
A loud noise, symbolized by the Horn, is calling for action and a need to step out of one's comfort zone.

The street is silent.
Despite the Horn's call to action, the street remains quiet, indicating a reluctance to change or fear of the unknown.

The Horn Says: It's Only a Matter of Time
The Horn reassures that change is inevitable and that it's only a matter of time before it happens, encouraging the need to embrace it.

The world is watching
The global community is observing and taking note of current events and how individuals respond to them.

Contributed by Gabriella L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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