collage by Volker Neumann

Welcome to Oysterband's official website...



......announcing........(roll of drums, toot of trumpets).......









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Please note there will be no Big Session Festival in 2018. 

We’re extremely grateful for the work and collaboration provided by Buxton Opera House in the last couple of years, but we feel the need to take a time-out from the idea. 

Our apologies to regular Big-Session-goers, who may well feel disappointed, but we hope to see you at the many other events in the course of our 40th year.

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NOW AVAILABLE FROM OUR ONLINE SHOP:


"...the Oysters have consistently striven to look forward, not back, responding to the texture of the times at every turn, and many who chance upon this lovingly packaged
29-track collection may be surprised by the depth and range of the content."
Colin Irwin, fROOTS Magazine

and coming shortly  - 

• a special retro T-shirt for the 40th Celebration Tour,
  

• and from Cooking Vinyl a first-ever VINYL release of Oysterband's breakthrough 1993 album Holy Bandits.
  

More details soon!

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Every year since 1986, fRoots magazine has asked a large international panel of experts – over 300 in recent times – to nominate the Album Of The Year. After they announced the results of the 30th annual fRoots Critics Poll for Albums Of The Year in December, the magazine invited the public to vote online for their one favourite album out of all the winners and runners up in every year’s Critics Poll since it began in 1986, 120 albums in all. And after a massive entry for the Best Of The Best, the placings are: 1. BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit) 1997 2. PAUL SIMON Graceland (Warners) 1986 3. BELLOWHEAD Hedonism (Navigator) 2010 4. JUNE TABOR & OYSTERBAND Ragged Kingdom (Topic) 2011 5. OYSTERBAND Holy Bandits (Cooking Vinyl) 1993 6. EMILY PORTMAN Hatchling (Furrow) 2012 7. ELIZA CARTHY Anglicana (Topic) 2002 8. THE HOME SERVICE Alright Jack (Making Waves) 1986 9. AURELIO Landini (Real World) 2014 10. JIM MORAY Low Culture (NIAG) 2008 Massive thanks to everyone who voted for us… only one act with two entries in the top ten!

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New in the online shop  -  the return of the Oysterband Badge.  We found one on an ancient leather jacket (sigh...) and remembered we used to really like them many years ago.  Finally we've had some manufactured again, in hand-enamelled nickel  -  they look slightly different now, but the quality is better.  And the little running man is still running...

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We're very pleased to say the LYRICS section of this website is now up and running at last.  Our thanks to Giolla Decair and Caz White, who did most of the work.  At 150+ songs it was no small task.  Now we can resolve those dressing-room arguments about "How did that one go??".....though possibly not the ones about which key it was in.

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Here's a little studio clip of "A Clown's Heart", the first track on the most recent studio album Diamonds On The Water:

The latest Oysterband studio album Diamonds On The Water  was our first collection of entirely new material in (gulp!) 7 years.

Naturally CDs are available from our website shop  as well as from Navigator Records www.navigatorrecords.co.uk/artists/oysterband and your usual retail outlets.  Buy early, buy often!

Downloads are available at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/diamonds-on-the-water/id771969865?uo=4&at=10l9qC (whole album only).  And you can view the CD booklet and digipak images here. 

    "From beginning to end, Diamonds On The Water is quite, quite brilliant." Folk Radio

    "You know this will become one of the Oysters' best-loved albums..."  fRoots

    "Gefühlvoll und äußerst melodiös"  Musikansich.de

    "...unglaublich eindrucksvoll und schön."  Legacy

    ""Revamped and revitalised Oysterband produce their best CD in years...song-    writing, playing and arranging out of the top drawer"    Maverick ***** (5-stars)
 
-   and who are we to disagree?


Tracks are:

    A Clown's Heart
    A River Runs
    Spirit Of Dust
    Lay Your Dreams Down Gently
    Diamonds On The Water
    The Wilderness
    Palace Of Memory
    Once I Had A Sweetheart
    No Ordinary Girl
    Call You Friend
    Steal Away
    Like A Swimmer In The Ocean


You can hear most of these new songs live at any of our upcoming gigs, so get your tickets now!