Bellowhead is an English contemporary

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical styles and influences. The band included percussion and a four-piece brass section. Bellowhead's bandmembers played more than 20 instruments among them, whilst all performers provided vocals. Their third album, ''Hedonism'' (2010), is the highest selling independently released folk album of all time, having sold over 60,000 copies and earning the band a silver disk. The band parted after their final gig at

Oxford Town Hall Oxford Town Hall is a public building in St Aldate's Street in central Oxford, England. It is both the seat of Oxford City Council and a venue for public meetings, entertainment and other events. It also includes the Museum of Oxford. Although ...

in May 2016. In 2020, the band reformed for a reunion concert and, as of 2022, are undertaking a reunion tour, visiting Portsmouth, Oxford, Leicester, Cambridge, London, Brighton, Southend-on-Sea, Ipswich, Bath, Plymouth, Cardiff, Birmingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Harrogate, Liverpool, Sheffield and Manchester.

History

Early years and ''Burlesque'': 2004–2007

The idea for the band came to

Spiers and Boden Spiers and Boden are an English folk duo. John Spiers plays melodeon and concertina, while Jon Boden sings and plays fiddle and guitar while stamping the rhythm on a stomp box. Spiers and Boden were founding members of the folk band Bellowhea ...

while the duo were in a traffic jam on tour. The longer they sat in traffic, the more friends they thought to invite to join. This led to the formation of a ten-piece band, with Benji Kirkpatrick, Rachael McShane, Paul Sartin, Pete Flood, Brendan Kelly, Justin Thurgur, Andy Mellon and

Giles Lewin Giles Lewin is a British violinist and bagpiper. Currently a member of The Carnival Band, he was also a founding member of the folk band, Bellowhead. Biography He was born in Essex in 1960 or slightly earlier. At age nine, he sang the female ...

completing the initial line-up. Before they had time to rehearse, the fledgling band were invited to play the first Oxford Folk Festival in April 2004, earning critical approval. In 2004, the band independently released a five-track EP, publicised as "English World Music", called ''

E.P.Onymous ''E.P.Onymous'' is the debut EP by Bellowhead. Track listing Personnel *Jon Boden – vocals, fiddle, bagpipes *John Spiers – melodeon, vocals *Benji Kirkpatrick – mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, banjo *Andy Mellon – ...

'', which generated positive reviews. In 2006 Gideon Juckes joined the band, primarily playing the tuba, and they released their first full-length album, ''

Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

'', featuring material from the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the American minstrel movement and sea-shanties from Brazil. Towards the end of 2007 they became Artists in Residence at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

, making their inaugural appearance with a Christmas Revels event.

''Matachin'': 2008–2009

In 2008 Bellowhead released their second album ''Matachin'', and a live performance at

the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

followed, which was broadcast live on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

and

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

Sam Sweeney Sam Sweeney (born 27 February 1989 in Nottingham) is a multi-instrumental English folk musician. Career Sweeney was introduced to folk music as a child via his parents' record collection and taught himself to play traditional pieces by ear. ...

joined the band on fiddles and bagpipes following the departure of

. The following year in August the band were approached about recording music for a 20th anniversary episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

''.

''Hedonism'': 2010–2011

In 2010, Ed Neuhauser replaced Gideon Juckes on helicon and

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

. In October 2010, Bellowhead released their third studio album, ''

Hedonism Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decr ...

'', which had been recorded in

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

. The album was produced by

John Leckie John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978), XTC's ''White Music'' (1978) and Dukes of Stratosphear's '' 25 O'Clock'' (1985), t ...

. In honour of the new album, the band developed a new

ale Ale is a Type of beer, type of beer brewed using a Warm fermentation, warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typicall ...

also named "Hedonism", with several band members being involved in the brewing process. Broadcast from April 2011, ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural settin ...

'' spin-off ''

Ambridge Extra ''Ambridge Extra'' is an extension of the long-running radio drama ''The Archers''. It began broadcasting sporadically on the digital radio station BBC Radio 4 Extra from 5 April 2011. The programme ran for five series, before it was "rested". O ...

'' featured a revised version of Archers theme tune "

Barwick Green "Barwick Green" is the theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers''. A "maypole dance" from the suite ''My Native Heath'' written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood, it is named after Barwick-in-Elmet in Yor ...

", arranged and performed by Bellowhead. In May 2011, at the 02 Academy in Bournemouth, the band recorded a DVD,

Hedonism Live ''Hedonism Live'' is the second live DVD by folk band Bellowhead. It was recorded in May 2011 at the O2 Academy Bournemouth. Track listing # Yarmouth Town # A-Begging I Will Go # Trip To Bucharest # Amsterdam # Whiskey Is The ...

, which was released in late November.

''Broadside'': 2012–2013

The band recorded a new album, ''

Broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

'', in March 2012 at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was originally founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Facilities Rockfield is a two- ...

with

which was released mid-October 2012. The album generated generally positive reviews and went straight to number 16 in the UK official album charts and number 1 in the UK independent album charts. In early 2012 the band undertook a European tour and in November 2012 toured the UK. In early 2013 the band toured the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium. In October 2013 they recorded a jingle for the flagship

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

folk music show ''The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe''. During 2013 they recorded a double A-sided single, ''Christmas Bells / Jingle Bells'' which was released on 1 December in digital-only format.

Tenth anniversary, ''Revival'' and separation: 2014–2016

In 2014 the band celebrated ten years performing together with two 'Bel10whead' performances in April:

Bridgewater Hall The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé ...

and the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. A new studio album, '' Revival'', followed, released on 30 June 2014 by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. Bellowhead headlined the concert in July 2015 to celebrate the opening of the refurbished

Cardigan Castle Cardigan Castle ( cy, Castell Aberteifi) is a castle overlooking the River Teifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle dates from the late 11th-century, though was rebuilt in 1244. Castle Green House was b ...

. The band announced their intention to go their separate ways following a decision by Jon Boden to step down as frontman. Bellowhead played their final gig at Oxford Town Hall, also the venue for their first concert twelve years earlier, on 1 May 2016. The band announced a one-off reunion concert to be streamed on the 5th December 2020, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ''

''. They then followed this up with a nationwide tour in November 2022. Prior to the tour beginning, Paul Sartin died suddenly of a heart attack on 14 September 2022 at the age of 51. However, the tour was continued despite his death, and in some shows they sang specifically in memory of Sartin. One audience member who went to the Cambridge show in the Corn Exchange remembers that 'They had a song with Paul Sartin's voice, and the rest of the band played behind it. It was a really tear-jerking moment. I remember being so impressed at the band, for going on with the tour after a friend had died.'

Band members

Jon Boden Jon Boden (born 17 March 1977) is a singer, composer and musician, best known as lead singer and main arranger of Bellowhead. His first instrument is the fiddle and he is a proponent of "English traditional fiddle style" and also of "fiddle si ...

– lead vocals,

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

, shaky egg, thunder tube,

kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifi ...

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

John Spiers John Spiers (born 1975) is an English diatonic button accordion, melodeon, concertina and bandoneon player. He is widely recognised as one of the leading English melodeon players of his generation. Career file:Purbeck_Valley_Folk_Festival_2 ...

– melodeons,

Anglo concertina The Anglo or Anglo-German concertina is a member of the concertina family of free-reed instruments. History The Anglo originated as a hybrid between the English concertina, English and German concertinas. The button layouts are generally the sam ...

Claviola The Claviola is a musical instrument that was designed in the 1960s by Hohner technician and designer Ernst Zacharias (inventor of the Pianet and Clavinet). The instrument was produced for a few months in the late 1990s before being discontinue ...

, vocals,

Benji Kirkpatrick Benji Kirkpatrick (born 1976) is an English folk singer and musician, who plays guitar, bouzouki, mandolin and tenor banjo. A son of folk musicians John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris, he was brought up in Shropshire. Previously a member of Bellowhe ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

tenor banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

, vocals,

*Rachael McShane –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

, fiddle,

, vocals *

Paul Sartin Paul Sartin (20 February 1971 – 14 September 2022) was an English singer, instrumentalist, composer and arranger, specialising in oboe and violin. He was best known for his work with the folk band Bellowhead, but also played with three-piece ...

(2004-2022) – fiddle,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

slide whistle A slide whistle (variously known as a swanee or swannee whistle, lotos flute piston flute, or jazz flute) is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwinds ...

, vocals *

(2004–2008) – fiddle,

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

– fiddle, English bagpipes, kazoo, vocals, whistle *Pete Flood – percussion (including frying pan,

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

, knives and forks, clockwork toys,

megaphone A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped acoustic horn used to amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. The sound is introduced into ...

scratching,

stomp box A stomp box (or stompbox) is a percussion instrument consisting of a small box placed under the foot, which is tapped or stamped on rhythmically to produce a sound similar to that of a bass drum. A stomp box allows a performer such as a sing ...

coal scuttle A coal scuttle, sometimes spelled ''coalscuttle'' and also called a ''hod'', "coal bucket", or "coal pail", is a bucket-like container for holding a small, intermediate supply of coal convenient to an indoor coal-fired stove or heater. Descript ...

, party blowers, broomsticks,

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet, metonomic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratchet (instrument), a music instrument and a ...

, Casio VL-tone, shakers and tambourine), vocals *Gideon Juckes (2006–2010) –

, helicon,

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

*Ed Neuhauser (2010–2016) –

, helicon,

, vocals *Brendan Kelly –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

, vocals *

Justin Thurgur Justin Thurgur (born 1974) is a British trombonist and composer/arranger. Biography He is most well known for his work with the English folk group Bellowhead, who he played with from its formation in 2004 until they called it a day in May 20 ...

–

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

, vocals *Andy Mellon –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

, vocals

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

*''Bellowhead Live: The Farewell Tour'' (2016) *''Reassembled'' (2021)

Singles

New York Girls New York Girls", also known as "Can't You Dance the Polka," is a traditional sea shanty. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 486. Lyrics The lyrics have many variations, but almost all versions contain this chorus, sung after each verse: ...

" (2010) *"Cold Blows the Wind" (2010) *"

10,000 Miles Away ''Ten Thousand Miles Away'' is a sea shanty and bush ballad whose writing and composition are attributed to Joseph B. Geoghegan. Origins and variants In his ''Shanties from the Seven Seas'' Hugill says that this was originally a shore ballad ...

" (September, 2012) *"Roll the Woodpile Down" (February, 2013) *"Betsy Baker" (July, 2013) *"Christmas Bells / Jingle Bells" (December, 2013) *"Gosport Nancy" (16 June 2014) *"Let Her Run / I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" (22 September 2014) *" Roll Alabama" (20 April 2015)

Extended plays

*''

'' (2004)

DVDs

*'' Live at Shepherds Bush Empire'' (2009) *''

'' (November, 2011) *''Bellowhead Live: The Farewell Tour'' (2016)

Other works

*'' Umbrellowhead'' (2009) *''Pandemonium – The Essential Bellowhead'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

At BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

The

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British ra ...

are an annual awards ceremony held to celebrate achievement among folk artists that year. During their 12 years together, Bellowhead won eight of these awards, including Best Live Act on five occasions. , - , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", 2014 , rowspan="1", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2013 , rowspan="1", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , rowspan="1", Broadside , Best Album , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2012 , rowspan="2", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;", 2011 , - , rowspan="2", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , Hedonism , Best Album , , - , New York Girls , Best Traditional Track , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2010 , rowspan="2" , Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;", 2009 , - , rowspan="2", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , Fakenham Fair , Best Traditional Track , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2008 , rowspan="2", Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2007 , rowspan="2" , Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2006 , rowspan="2" , Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2005 , rowspan="2" , Bellowhead , Best Group , , - , Best Live Act ,

References

External links

Bellowhead websiteBellowhead forumBellowhead Interview - Folk Radio UK
* *

Video clips

Official YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellowhead English folk musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2016 2004 establishments in England 2016 disestablishments in England Westpark Music artists