Dear Bear friends,
The winter hibernation is over and we will be releasing a new single – Muscle Belt (Fantastic Plastic), playing launch gigs in London and Norwich , going to SXSW, selling new t-shirts, having a song on MTV, and cracking on with our new album.
We have also had a line-up change. Three of the original bears, Matt, Cerian and Rich, have had to step back from their Bearsuit commitments over the last year or so, as they’ve all been having babies! Welcome to the world, baby Noah and baby Charlie! Lisa, Jan and Iain haven’t got up the duff of late, so they will still be Bearsuiting….with new members Charlene Katuwawala on bass and Joe Naylor on drums.
Oh and we’re also appearing in a new book with a whole chapter on us and John Peel!
Phew!
First things first, our new single Muscle Belt will be released on Fantastic Plastic. (Watch out for it on itunes soon!) Essentially it’s about Michael Jackson unleashing a 7th hell on the dance floor. We’ve put a preview clip of it up on our myspace page so come have a listen.
We will be headlining two launch party gigs in London and Norwich as below:
Saturday March 14: Buffalo Bar, LONDON
w/Le Tetsuo, Baby Gravy, The Silver Hares + The Wizard and the Frog.
Doors: 8.30pm, £6
Sunday March 15: Norwich Arts Centre, NORWICH
w/The Brownies + The Middle Ones
Doors: 7.30pm, £5 adv from here
Which brings me to my second item of news: The Norwich gig in particular is a fundraiser to help us raise our airfares for SXSW. Yep we’ll be heading off to Texas (and hopefully not getting deported this year) We hope you’ll support us by coming along!
If you happen to be coming to SXSW, we will be playing the following showcases:
Thursday, March 19: SXSW Bloody Massive House Party @  King St Austin (8pm, free + free food and beer + indoor and outdoor stages)
Thursday, March 19:  SXSW Official After The Jump Showcase @ The Rusty Spurs Saloon (1am, wristband only)
Friday, March 20: SXSW Back To The Future Party @ 1024 E. 44th St (5.45pm, free + free beer)
Saturday, March 21: SXSW NYC Popfest @ Waterloo Cylces (3.25pm, free + free beer)
(MORE SXSW DATES TBC. Keep a watch of our myspace page for further dates and full lineups for each show)
OK, so next thing, we’ve got some new T shirts which have a limited edition (60) Muscle Belt design. They are black tee’s with day-glo green design of the single front cover.  (will stick some photos up on myspace soon as I find my camera – they look pretty aces!)
We have men’s small, medium and large, and women’s medium and large. £12 each plus £3 postage for UK and Europe or £5 postage for the rest of the world. Please Paypal theband@bearsuit.co.uk and let us know you want a Muscle Belt shirt and what size.
 
What else, oh yeah we’ve got Robot Arms on an MTV & Vodaphone Soundbites advert at the moment, that’s pretty rad.
Finally, we’re appearing in a new book by poet/writer extraordinaire John Osborne. Radio Head is published by Simon&Schuster in May 2009. You can pre-order it here.
I’m beginning to ramble now, but essentially what I’m trying to say is:
Come to our gigs
Buy our new single
Play it as loud as possible
Dance around like MJ
Grab your crotch
Buy a t-shirt
Buy that book we’re in
I’ve got some more bumpf on the book, but before I launch into that I’ll bid you farewell.
Over and out
Lisa Bear xxx

RADIO HEAD
John Osborne has long been a fan of radio – from late night sessions with John Peel to afternoons accompanied by Test Match Special, he has always enjoyed tuning in to the riches of the best radio broadcasts. Radio Head is a funny, sharply observed book dealing with radio in the 21st century. It shows aspects of Britain that are uplifting, informative and sometimes plain bizarre. From the gentle tinkle of a string quartet to late night ranting on local radio, from Chris Moyles to Book at Bedtime, there is something for everyone at the turn of a dial.
John Osborne is a poet, journalist and writer. He is a member of Aisle 16, the UK's most sought after poetry collective, described as “highlights of the spoken word scene” by the Sunday Times. He has had poetry published in the Guardian and the New Writer, and performed live at the Latitude festival. He graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2004, and has taught English in Germany and Austria.
Radio Head features profiles of radio personalities such as Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie and Nicholas Parsons, and dips into the mainstream and the minority; specialist music shows, comedy and pirate radio as well as the treasured BBC Radio 4.