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Oysterband

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  • Genres: Folk

Biography

Oysterband (or the Oyster Band, as it used to be called) are one of the few outfits still burning with the fire of punk, but who manage to combine it with the ideals and knowledge of English folk music -- a balancing act they've made into a fine art over the years. And they have deep roots in the U.K. folk scene, emerging from both the Whitstable Oyster Co. Ceilidh Band, which formed in 1975, and Fiddler's Dram, a group put together in 1973 by Dave Arbus, whose fiddle work has graced releases by East of Eden and the Who. Alan Prosser, Ian Telfer, and Chris Taylor were also in Fiddler's Dram, whose moment of fame arrived in 1979 with the British hit single "Day Trip to Bangor" -- released after they'd split up. They reconvened for a last album when Ian Kearey joined them. He also became part of the band's alter ego, the roots-oriented Oyster Ceilidh Band, as they'd become by then. With Fiddler's Dram no longer extant, the members put their energies into the newly renamed Oyster Band in 1981, playing gigs around England and self-releasing albums on their own Pukka label. It wasn't until 1986 that their first "commercial" release, Step Outside (produced by Clive Gregson), with its rocking treatment of the maypole song "Hal-An-Tow" and what's now become an Oyster classic, "Another Quiet Night in England." It established them as a force on a fairly moribund English roots scene and they capitalized on it as they continued to release albums, mixing folk tunes and original material with a curious taste in covers, ranging from an incendiary version of New Order's "Love Vigilantes" (which put it into the folkier context it deserved) to Bruck Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." More than anything, however, the band grew in stature as writers, railing against the politics of Margaret Thatcher and then her successor, and they built up their reputation during the '90s, helped by a relatively stable lineup. Perhaps their pinnacle came in 1990, when they collaborated with folk singer June Tabor on Freedom and Rain, very much a rock album covering songs by Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, and others. From there, though, they've become a critically acclaimed force in English roots music, even if they've never managed to break through to a wide audience. 1995's The Shouting End of Life saw them at their most political, while the long-awaited Here I Stand in 1999 reasserted their supremacy in their particular field, as songwriters, instrumentalists, and singers. The band returned in 2002 after the longest recording layoff of its career with Rise Above, which included eight originals and two English traditional numbers, and featured the work of Irish piper James O'Grady throughout. it was yet another sign that old punks never die -- they keep refusing to compromise. Meet You There arrived in 2007, followed by The Oxford Girl & Other Stories, the latter of which marked the group’s 30th anniversary. In 2011, the band reunited with June Tabor for the riveting Ragged Kingdom. ~ Chris Nickson, Rovi
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Oysterband

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Oysterband

The Oysterband headlining at the 2006 Wickham Festival
Background information
Origin Kent, United Kingdom
Genres Folk rock, electric folk
Years active 1976–present
Members
Alan Prosser
Ian Telfer
John Jones
Ray Cooper
Dilwyn Davies
Past members
Will Ward
Cathy Lesurf
Chris Taylor
Ian Kearey
Chris Wood
Russell Lax
Lee Partis

Oysterband (originally The Oyster Band) is an English electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.

Contents

History

Early history

The band formed in parallel to Fiddler's Dram, and under the name Oyster Ceilidh Band played purely as a dance band at first. The name Oyster comes from the group's early association with the coastal town of Whitstable in East Kent, known for the quality of its oysters. Their first album, released under the Oyster Ceilidh Band name, was Jack's Alive (1980) on the Dingles record label. Subsequent albums, as Oyster Band (sometimes The Oyster Band) were released on the band's own Pukka Music label: English Rock 'n' Roll: The Early Years 1800–1850 and Lie Back and Think of England, followed by Liberty Hall and 20 Golden Tie-Slackeners.

The lineup of the band changed over these albums. The first recorded line-up was:

  • Cathy Lesurf - vocals;
  • John Jones - melodeon, vocals;
  • Alan Prosser - guitars, violin;
  • Chris Taylor - guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, one-row melodeon, mandola;
  • Ian Telfer - violin, English concertina, saxophone;
  • Chris Wood - bass guitar;
  • Will Ward - bassoon, recorders, crumhorn, keyboards

When Chris Wood left the band to go travelling in Canada, he was replaced on bass guitar by returning founder member Ian Kearey. Cathy Lesurf subsequently left to join Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band, and Will Ward also departed so that by the time they recorded Lie Back and Think of England the personnel had settled down to John Jones, Ian Kearey, Alan Prosser and Ian Telfer. For the album Step Outside they added Russell Lax on drums. Step Outside mixed self-penned songs, often with a political theme, with reworkings of traditional standards such as Hal-an-Tow.

Later history

Oysterband, Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire, 12 August 2004

After the 1987 release Wide Blue Yonder Kearey left the band to be replaced by Chopper (real name Ray Cooper). Subsequent albums included Ride, Little Rock to Leipzig and the June Tabor collaboration Freedom and Rain. Following this the band name changed to Oysterband. Drummer Lee Partis (who for several years was billed only by his forename) replaced Russell Lax for 1992's Deserters before Holy Bandits in 1993 propelled the band to the forefront of a booming folk rock scene alongside bands such as The Levellers.

In the nineties the band adopted a more overtly political stance, recording the harder The Shouting End of Life and collaborating with Chumbawamba to record "Farewell to the Crown", released as the b-side of the Tubthumping single. But recent releases Deep Dark Ocean, Here I Stand, Rise Above and Meet You There have seen the band return to a softer, more melodic sound while recent tours under the banner The Big Session have seen the band offer exposure to several young, emerging folk musicians like Dan Donnelly, The Handsome Family as well as veterans such as June Tabor. James O'Grady (Uilleann pipes, fiddle, flute, vocals) regularly appeared on the Oysters' albums and tours in the last few years.

John Jones, James O'Grady and Ian Telfer provided vocals and instrumentation on Chumbawamba's album A Singsong and a Scrap, and Oysterband provided vocals for the song "Hull or Hell" on The Boy Bands Have Won.

In 2007, long standing drummer Lee Partis took a sabbatical break to be able to concentrate on his work as a psychotherapist, counselling in prisons. In August 2008, he confirmed he would be leaving the band permanently. The band then appointed Dilwyn Davies as replacement drummer.

Following a 30th anniversary concert in December 2008 the band took a six-month sabbatical, during which John Jones and Chopper both made solo albums.

The band returned to the studio in 2011 teaming up once again with June Tabor releasing "Ragged Kingdom" in September at a sell out Concert at Londons Queen Elizabeth Hall. For at least some dates on the Ragged Kingdom tour, they are also joined on bass and guitar by Al Scott, who produced the album. On 8 February 2012 June Tabor and Oysterband won Best Traditional Song, Best Album and Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Ragged Kingdom, with Tabor also winning Folk Singer of the Year.

Lineup as of 2012

  • Ray Cooper - bass guitar, cello, vocals (credited as "Chopper" on all releases prior to 2011)
  • John Jones - melodeon, lead vocals
  • Alan Prosser - guitars, viola, vocals
  • Ian Telfer - fiddle, English concertina, vocals
  • Dil Davies - drums

Studio albums

As Fiddler's Dram

As Oyster Ceilidh Band

As Oyster Band

As Oysterband

Live albums

  • Little Rock to Leipzig - 1990 (partially live)
  • Alive and Shouting - 1996
  • Alive and Acoustic - 1998
  • 25th Anniversary Concert - DVD - 2004
  • Northern Light - 2006

External links


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