Bellowhead

Bellowhead
Bellowhead live at 2013 Celtic Connections
Background information
Genres	English folk, folk jazz, electric folk, progressive folk
Years active	2004 (2004)–2016 (2016)
Labels	Island, Navigator, Westpark
Associated acts	Spiers and Boden, Belshazzar's Feast, Hannah and Sam
Website	www.bellowhead.co.uk
Past members	John Spiers, Jon Boden, Benji Kirkpatrick, Paul Sartin, Rachael McShane, Ed Neuhauser, Pete Flood, Andy Mellon, Brendan Kelly, Justin Thurgur, Sam Sweeney, Giles Lewin, Gideon Juckes

Bellowhead was an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004-2016. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide diversity of musical styles and influences. The band included percussion and a four-piece brass section, and was known for its energetic live performances.

All successful musicians in their own right, Bellowhead's bandmembers played more than 20 instruments between them; whilst all performers provided vocals.

Their third album, Hedonism, 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 in May 2016.

The idea for the band came to Spiers and Boden 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 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, which generated positive reviews.

In 2006 Gideon Juckes joined the band, primarily playing the tuba, and they released their first full-length album, Burlesque, featuring material from the Napoleonic Wars, the American minstrel movement and sea-shanties from Brazil .

Towards the end of 2007 they became Artists in Residence at the Southbank Centre, making their inaugural appearance with a Christmas Revels event.

In 2008 Bellowhead released their second album Matachin, and a live performance at the Proms followed, which was broadcast live on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3.Sam Sweeney joined the band on fiddles and bagpipes following the departure of Giles Lewin. The following year in August the band were approached about recording music for a 20th anniversary episode of The Simpsons.