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Porridge The very essence of a ceilidh’s life Take six disparate personalities, put them in a large vat of reasonable beer, bring gently but inexorably to the boil and what have you got?........ What you have is Porridge, the best and hottest ceilidh and country dance band this side of the Orinoco. The band admits that there may be arguments about such a claim, so they are normally willing to limit their extravagances to the certainty of being the very best there is in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. Porridge comes pre-packed as a unique blend of individual capabilities and talents. These, in no particular order, are Jim, a fiddler who also features on bass, mandolin, guitar and occasionally banjo, Dave who plays melodeon, flute, piccolo, whistles and various other bits of plumbing with holes in. John D plays fiddle, flute, guitar and piano if there is one handy. John W and Dennis usually share the jobs of calling/melodeons, but between them can double up on a whole range of instruments including (but not limited to) concertinas, bass, guitars, harmonicas, trombone, bodhran, autoharp and circular triangle (a peculiarity of Bedfordshire). The final member of the band is Andy who, using the modest terminology of all expert percussionists, simply claims to ‘hit things quite hard’. Permutations of these instruments provide a spectrum of musical textures and rhythms throughout the dance tunes. When asked what genre of music they play, the band usually have some difficulty in giving a precise answer. Most of the tunes are traditional in origin; more than a few come from outside the UK and many of them have been ‘got at’ by the band, sometimes to the extent of being almost unrecognisable. Influences include folk, jazz, classical, rock and military music. The style is best encapsulated in the phrase “Bedfordshire mountain surf music”. This is one of the reasons for the name Porridge …… sometimes the music is hot and steaming, sometimes smooth and creamy, sometimes thick and lumpy, sometimes it makes you sick…….but most of all it provides central heating for kids from 4 to 104. Unlike Scott’s, Porridge cannot be bought in Tesco. Instead it is available on special order for your dance or ceilidh by telephoning: 01525 405571 / 01989 730254 / 01539 625679 / 07909524171
Please note:
Because of their policy of continuous improvement, Porridge reserve the
right to change the formulation of their products and services without
prior warning. This policy has resulted in a number of changes in
personnel over the years, mainly as a result of artist differences……… we
were artistic and they were….well… Different!!!!. |
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Chicken Shed Zeppelin |
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Old-time fiddle-thrashing, yeeharhollerin' breakneck
speed acoustic dance music with attitude to get ya on ya feet in a hurry
and shakin' your old-time booty with a VENGEANCE!.... |
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Fire Tree Band Miff lead vocals, Chris Rush guitars, Andrew Butler Keys and B.vox, John Ravenhill Bass, Andy Gilliams Trombone & B.vox, Dave Butler Drums & Percussion. Claim that they sound like a warm afternoon in mid July. Chilled company. Blazing sun on your back as you pop the lid on that ice cold brew and settle back to listen to your fave band play your fave choon! The bands influences are
many and varied. To list them all would take all day. Here
are some to be going on with: |
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HellBellies |
