.........winners of The BBC Radio 2 "Good Tradition" Award 2003............and winners (as Oysterband's Big Session) of the "Best Group" Award 2005.........and nominated for "Best Foreign Album" for Meet You There at the Danish Folk Awards 2008.............hey!............
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TICKETS FOR THE 4TH BIG SESSION FESTIVAL ARE NOW ON SALE Call +44 (0)116 233 3111 - see below for "early bird" prices and latest additions to the bill - |
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STOP PRESS: The Big Session wins "The Greener Festival Award" at the UK Festival Awards 2007! - in the face of stiff competition from Glastonbury and other much longer-established events. Many thanks to everyone who voted, to Richard Haswell & staff at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, and to Complete Wasters. Magic! |
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Welcome to Oysterband's official website
"...they rediscover the inspiration and energy that made them such a thrilling outfit in the first place. ... ...the songwriting is remarkably consistent and the sound quality magnificent" fRoots "MEET YOU THERE, Oysterband's first full studio album in several years, may well be their best yet. They sound even more assured and confident, and although the folk influences are still discernible....... with this album they've achieved their fullest realization of a unique Oysterband sound...." Sing Out! "...a reminder that they are still an exceptional band in their own right. This new set involves some of their best-ever vocal work and unexpected instrumentation..." **** The Guardian "...this triumphant return sees the band with a renewed sense of purpose and belief" ***** Rock 'N' Reel "Genuinely thrilling stuff.....with an opulent sound quality to match" Netrhythms |
MEET YOU THERE [Westpark Music WM87141] is out now. You can order it from this website. See Mail Order below for details.
MEET YOU THERE has 11 exceptional new songs: Over The Water; Here Comes The Flood; Where The World Divides; Walking Down The Road With You; Bury Me Standing; Everything Must Go; Control; The Boy's Still Running; Someone Somewhere; Just One Life; Dancing As Fast As I Can. It's been 5 years since the last studio album, and worth the wait.
For worldwide distribution, reviews of the album, details of interviews, and a word from John Jones, click on F-Word above, then on News.
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The MEET YOU THERE Tour rolls on. Please note that two shows are now on different dates from the ones originally advertised: Norwich Maddermarket Theatre will now be on Thursday 3rd July (not March 25), and Saul Canal Festival on Saturday 5th July (not June 30).
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Coming soon, for the 4th time already:
Tickets are on sale NOW from the box-office at +44 (0)116 233 3111 or www.bigsessionfestival.com Cut-price "early-bird" weekend tickets are just £55 --- disabled/carer "241" tickets £27.50, 5 - 15 years £20 and 0 - 4 years £0. |
From March 1 2008 "early-bird" prices will end and the equivalent prices will be £65 for a weekend ticket, £32.50 for a "241", 5 - 15 years still £20 and 0 - 4 years still £0. Camping costs just £5 and camper vans £15. Day tickets are now available too (see website for prices and further information).
Who's on this year? Well, so far we have:
FRIDAY: OYSTERBAND --- THE BLOCKHEADS --- LAU --- KILA --- JOHNNY FLYNN AND THE SUSSEX WIT --- CARA DILLON --- HEY NEGRITA!
SATURDAY: STEVE EARLE --- SETH LAKEMAN --- DEVON SPROULE --- VINCENT VINCENT AND THE VILLAINS --- ALLISON MOORER --- THE TROUBADOURS --- McDERMOTTS 2 HOURS --- PAUL CURRERI --- RUTH NOTMAN --- and the return of OYSTER CEILIDH BAND, caller GORDON POTTS!
SUNDAY: BELLOWHEAD --- THE HANDSOME FAMILY --- THE BLUE BLOKES 3 --- JOHN SMITH --- PAUL MARSHALL --- EMILY BARKER --- THE WALLBIRDS
plus Lee's Lunchtime Session on Saturday, a much bigger marquee, and an increased emphasis on informal instrumental sessions. In fact, this year there will be an instrument lock-up on site, so don't hesitate to bring yours with you. But there's still more to come, so watch this space!
According to www.virtualfestivals.com :
| "Only three years in and Big Session really seems to have found its place in the festival circuit. It delivers an eclectic range of music for all tastes, it’s held at a great location and it’s topped off with a summer atmosphere to suit any weather. The line up is getting stronger and on the back of some of the world class performances this weekend, is set to get better still. The phenomenal organisation blows any other event out of the water right now. The kids' setup is the best there is in the country, there’s recycling points, water points and clean loos and even when faced with a storm that would have wrecked most events, they’ve kept things on track. ... Big Session is the best kept secret of the festival circuit right now – get in while you still can." |
They forgot to mention the superlative real-ale bar facilities, but otherwise.....what can we say?
Lee is taking a break. As well as drumming and singing for Oysterband, in recent years he has trained and qualified as a psychotherapist, developing a particular interest in counselling in prisons. This is a poorly addressed and funded area of public policy, and Lee is taking a sabbatical to work on persuading the powers-that-be of its importance - see his website at www.counsellingoffenders.org.uk
The band agrees with this very strongly and wishes him every possible success with it. Power to your elbow, mate. As 2008 is Oysters' (gulp!) 30th anniversary, though, he's unlikely to be away indefinitely.... You can read a personal note from Lee at F-Word above.
| So currently in the drummer's seat is DIL DAVIES. Dil (for Dilwyn; another "secret Welshman"......sort of) has toured and recorded with an astonishing range of people, from saxmeister Dick Heckstall-Smith and Nashville fiddler Eamon McLaughlin to Cream songwriter Pete Brown and Dogs D'Amour, and he's a mean cajonista too, and an all-round good chap..... | 
Dil (left) |
Now up and running ----- www.MySpace.com/oysterband ----- so if you want to add yourself to our list of cyberfriends, that's the place to go. Five cool tracks you can hear, too, currently including:
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a brand-new and rather surprising version of "By Northern Light" taken from the band's current experiments in the studio (working title: "Drifter", though that may possibly be a joke);
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a live version of the epic "Dancing As Fast As I Can" that closes MEET YOU THERE --- downloadable free;
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"Where The World Divides" from MEET YOU THERE;
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an exquisite duet version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" with June Tabor.
Also at www.MySpace.com/oysterband you can now find a video clip of "When I'm Up I Can't Get Down" from the "Drifter" sessions, filmed at The Barley Mow, Brighton.
Fresh film clips, both old and new, are appearing thick and fast on www.YouTube.com (enter "Oysterband" in the search engine).
A note about Mail Order : we have just gone over (at last!) to secure online ordering, and to reflect the savings this makes possible, we've dramatically cut our charges for post and packing, worldwide.
You can also now order in Euros or US Dollars, if you wish.
If you encounter any snags or error messages when trying to order, please email details to us at runningman@oysterband.co.uk -- the system is bound to have a few teething problems, and we appreciate your help with them very much.
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The Discography page below is in business. Clicking there connects you to the fruit of astounding labours by Ian & Stephanie, which supersedes all previous attempts, ever. There are things even WE didn't know we'd recorded.... |
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If you would like to be kept irregularly informed about Oysterband tours, record releases and late-breaking news, click here to join our E-Mailing List. We won't give your details to anyone for any purpose, and if you tire of hearing from us, just send an email to "runningman@oysterband.co.uk" with "unsubscribe" in the subject. NB: you're probably better off giving us a domestic email address than an office one - office systems sometimes screen out "unexpected" mail even when it has been solicited. And if you sign up and then don't hear from us for a LONG time, it could be that your email system is classifying our messages as Spam. Have a look in your Spam mailbox or Trash. If possible, put our address in your address-book, or instruct your email system to accept messages from us. |
USEFUL ADDRESSES
To contact the band: oysters@oysterband.co.uk
To book the band: rob@codaagency.com
To discuss mail-order, the mailing-list or the website: runningman@oysterband.co.uk
To send mail orders or correspondence by post: Running Man, PO Box 32100, London N4 1GR, UK
Don't forget, we really like to hear from you..........well, usually. The one thing that's difficult is if you send us songs or photographs as e-mail attachments. They take forever to download, and it quite spoils Mr Clowtt's day (not a good idea). PLEASE either send them by post on disc to Running Man, or put them on a site and send us the e-address. Ta, much appreciated....
MAIL ORDER POLICY If goods you receive from us are damaged or unsatisfactory, we will replace, refund or exchange them (at your choice) up to the same listed price. This does not affect your statutory rights. |