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Oysterband
Oysterband headlining the 2006 Wickham Festival
Background information
Origin	Kent, England
Genres	British folk rock, folk punk
Years active	1976–present
Website	www.oysterband.co.uk
Members	Alan Prosser Ian Telfer John Jones Pete Flood Al Scott Adrian Oxaal
Past members	Will Ward Cathy Lesurf Chris Taylor Ian Kearey Chris Wood Russell Lax Lee Partis Ray Cooper Chopper Dilwyn Davies

Oysterband (originally The Oyster Band) is a British folk rock and folk punk band formed in Canterbury in around 1976.^[1]

History

Early history

The band formed in parallel to Fiddler's Dram, and under the name "Oyster Ceilidh Band" played purely as a dance band at first. The name Oyster comes from the group's early association with the coastal town of Whitstable in East Kent, known for the quality of its oysters. Their first album, released under the Oyster Ceilidh Band name, was Jack's Alive (1980) on the Dingles record label. Subsequent albums, as "Oyster Band" (sometimes "The Oyster Band") were released on the band's own Pukka Music label: English Rock 'n' Roll: The Early Years 1800–1850 and Lie Back and Think of England, followed by Liberty Hall and 20 Golden Tie-Slackeners.

The lineup of the band changed over these albums. The first recorded line-up was:

• 
  Cathy Lesurf - vocals;


• 
  John Jones - melodeon, vocals;


• 
  Alan Prosser - guitars, violin;


• 
  Chris Taylor - guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, one-row melodeon, mandola;


• 
  Ian Telfer - violin, English concertina, saxophone;


• 
  Chris Wood - bass guitar;


• 
  Will Ward - bassoon, recorders, crumhorn, keyboards

When Chris Wood left the band to go travelling in Canada, he was replaced on bass guitar by returning founder member Ian Kearey. Cathy Lesurf subsequently left to join Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band, and Will Ward also departed so that by the time they recorded Lie Back and Think of England the personnel had settled down to John Jones, Ian Kearey, Alan Prosser and Ian Telfer. For the album Step Outside they added Russell Lax on drums. Step Outside mixed self-penned songs, often with a political theme, with reworkings of traditional standards such as Hal-an-Tow.

Later history

Oysterband, Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire, 12 August 2004

After the 1987 release Wide Blue Yonder Kearey left the band to be replaced by Chopper (real name Ray Cooper). Subsequent albums included Ride, Little Rock to Leipzig and the June Tabor collaboration Freedom and Rain. Following this the band name changed to Oysterband. Drummer Lee Partis (who for several years was billed only by his forename) replaced Russell Lax for 1992's Deserters before Holy Bandits in 1993 propelled the band to the forefront of a booming folk rock scene alongside bands such as The Levellers.

In the nineties the band adopted a more overtly political stance, recording the harder The Shouting End of Life and collaborating with Chumbawamba to record "Farewell to the Crown", released as the B-side of the Tubthumping single. But recent releases Deep Dark Ocean, Here I Stand, Rise Above and Meet You There have seen the band return to a softer, more melodic sound while recent tours under the banner The Big Session have seen the band offer exposure to several young, emerging folk musicians like Dan Donnelly, The Handsome Family as well as veterans such as June Tabor. James O'Grady (Uilleann pipes, fiddle, flute, vocals) regularly appeared on the Oysters' albums and tours in the last few years.

John Jones, James O'Grady and Ian Telfer provided vocals and instrumentation on Chumbawamba's album A Singsong and a Scrap, and Oysterband provided vocals for the song "Hull or Hell" on The Boy Bands Have Won.

In 2007, long-standing drummer Lee Partis took a break to concentrate on his work as a psychotherapist, counselling in prisons. In August 2008, he confirmed he would be leaving the band permanently. The band then appointed Dilwyn Davies as replacement drummer.

Following a 30th anniversary concert in December 2008 the band took a six-month sabbatical, during which John Jones and Chopper both made solo albums.

The band returned to the studio in 2011, teaming up once again with June Tabor and releasing Ragged Kingdom in September at a sell-out concert at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. For at least some dates on the Ragged Kingdom tour, they are also joined on bass and guitar by Al Scott, who produced the album. On 8 February 2012 June Tabor and Oysterband won Best Traditional Song, Best Album and Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Ragged Kingdom, with Tabor also winning Folk Singer of the Year.

Ray Cooper announced in December 2012 that he would leave the band at the end of the Ragged Kingdom tour in February 2013, to pursue a solo career. Adrian Oxaal, formerly of rock band James, replaced him on a few gigs late in 2012, and took over in 2013, although it was unclear whether he would become a full-time member of Oysterband. The band also featured Al Scott on bass at some gigs. Pete Flood, formerly of Bellowhead replaced Davies on drums.

Current line-up

• 
  John Jones - melodeon, lead vocals


• 
  Alan Prosser - guitars, viola, vocals


• Ian Telfer - fiddle, English concertina, vocals


• 
  Pete Flood - drums


• 
  Al Scott - bass guitar, guitars, mandolin


• 
  Adrian Oxaal - cello, bass guitar, electric guitar

Discography

Studio albums

As Fiddler's Dram

• 
  To See the Play - 1978


• 
  Fiddler's Dram - 1980

As Oyster Ceilidh Band

• 
  Jack's Alive - 1980

As Oyster Band

• 
  English Rock 'n' Roll: The Early Years 1800–1850 - 1982


• 
  Lie Back and Think of England - 1983


• 
  20 Golden Tie-Slackeners - 1984


• 
  Liberty Hall - 1985


• 
  Step Outside - 1986


• 
  Wide Blue Yonder - 1987


• 
  Ride - 1989


• 
  Freedom and Rain - 1990 (collaboration with June Tabor)

As Oysterband

• 
  Deserters - 1992


• 
  Holy Bandits - 1993


• 
  Trawler - 1994


• 
  The Shouting End of Life - 1995


• 
  Deep Dark Ocean - 1997


• 
  Here I Stand - 1999


• 
  Rise Above - 2002


• 
  25 - 2003


• 
  Meet You There - 2007


• 
  The Oxford Girl and Other Stories - 2008


• 
  Ragged Kingdom - 2011 (collaboration with June Tabor)


• 
  Diamonds on the Water - 2014

Live albums

• 
  Little Rock to Leipzig - 1990 (partially live)


• 
  Alive and Shouting - 1996


• 
  Alive and Acoustic - 1998


• 
  25th Anniversary Concert - DVD - 2004


• 
  Northern Light - 2006

Compilation albums

• 
  The Rough Guide to World Music - 1994 (contributing the track "When I'm Up I Can't Get Down")


• 
  The Rough Guide to English Roots Music - 1998 (contributing the track "Sail on By")


• 
  Pearls from the Oysters - 1998 (taking tracks from Step Outside, Wide Blue Yonder, Ride and Little Rock to Leipzig)


• 
  This House Will Stand (The Best Of Oysterband 1998-2015) - 2016, double album with The Work Of My Own Two Hands containing alternate versions and demos

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oysterband.

References

External links

• Official website