The Jepettos are an alternative folk band from Belfast and

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

, Northern Ireland. The band was formed in February 2011 and consists of writer members Michael Aicken (vocals, guitars) and Ruth Aicken (vocals, various instruments) alongside an alternating line-up of musicians. Highlights in the band's career have included supporting rapper Tinie Tempah and sharing the bill with

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

and The Black Keys at

Tennent's Vital Belfast Vital (formerly Tennent's Vital) is an annual music festival in Northern Ireland. It was first held near Botanic Gardens in 2002 then later moved to Ormeau Park in 2007, both of these venues were in Belfast. The festival had taken a not ...

in 2012.

History

After performing together with Northern Ireland folk act The Lowly Knights, Michael and Ruth Aicken initially formed The Jepettos with Derry trio Emma Flanagan (

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

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 ...

), Colm Hinds (bass) and Daniel Kerr (drums, glockenspiel). Since formation the group has also variously contained additional musicians Michael Andrews (bass), Scott Jamison (drums, glockenspiel), Jonny Ashe (electric guitar), Laura-Jane Hughes (trumpet) and Sarah Williamson ( oboe). The band is named after Geppetto, the father of fictional character Pinocchio. The group released their debut EP ''Start a New People'' in January 2012. Single "Goldrush" was released initially as a free download, and featured

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...

on piano. The single garnered positive reviews from Hot Press magazine and the Daily Mirror, and a music video, directed by Marty Stalker, was produced to accompany the release. The Jepettos made a number of showcase performances during the summer and autumn of 2012. They performed in July at

Glasgowbury Festival The Glasgowbury Music Festival was an annual music festival held in Draperstown, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland running from 2000 - 2013. History The Glasgowbury Music Festival made its first appearance in the summer of 2000 as a gatheri ...

, and then in August the band was selected to play the new second stage at the annual Tennent's Vital festival, sharing the bill with The Black Keys and Foo Fighters. At

Arthur's Day Arthur's Day was an annual series of music events worldwide, originally organised by Diageo in 2009 to promote the 250th anniversary of its Guinness brewing company. It was named after the founder of Guinness brewing, Arthur Guinness. The 20 ...

2012 the group supported English rapper Tinie Tempah live in Belfast. In 2013 The Jepettos released "Water", a single featuring cellist and singer Alana Henderson. Henderson has since joined the backing group for Irish singer-songwriter

Hozier Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes. He had his interna ...

, performing across the world and on national US television. The song was chosen as BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens' "Introducing Discovery" in September 2013.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

The Jepettos
on Bandcamp * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jepettos, The Folk music groups from Northern Ireland Musical groups from Belfast Musical groups from Derry (city) Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in Northern Ireland