The Chair
The Chair
Festival gigs
The Chair play the Hebridean Celtic Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival in July.
The Chair - originally called Lazy Boy Chair - is an Orkney-based band formed in 2004, initially for a one-off festival gig, with the idea of creating their own brand of 'stomp music', 'something tae jump aboot tae'.
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Winners of a prestigious Danny Award at Celtic Connections in 2007, the eight-piece band have used this award as a firm foundation on which to build over the last year, playing a number of festivals at home and abroad. |
2007 also saw them working in the studio, culminating in the release of their 11-track debut album Huinka late last year, which includes two bonus tracks recorded live at the Shetland Folk Festival.
The Chair's sound is a blend of self-penned compositions and traditional tunes. The frontline is a riot of twin fiddles, accordion and banjo, served up on a bed of drums, percussion, infectious bass grooves and imaginative guitar riffs. They bring together a wide ranging set of influences, from breakneck reels and heavy strathspeys, to rock 'n roll and klezmer. There are also compositions by such ground-breaking musicians as Gordon Duncan, Phil Cunningham and Màire Nì Chathasaigh, showing the innovative path The Chair is following.
The Chair are Gavin Firth (guitar), Fionn McArthur (fiddle), Bob Gibbon (accordion), Brian Cromarty (banjo and vocals), Chas Milne (bass guitar), Erik Laughton (drums), Douglas Montgomery (fiddle and mandolin) and Robbie Thomson (percussion). The band are involved in other projects as well – Fionn and Gavin play in a duo, Brian and Douglas are saltfishforty, and Robbie and Chas play with Orkney band Hivida.
The Chair will be performing on 18 July at the Hebridean Celtic Festival, which was recently granted Flexible funding by the Scottish Arts Council. The full line-up includes Shooglenifty, Red Hot Chilli Pipers, The Saw Doctors, Seth Lakeman, Bodega, Julie Fowlis Band, Four Men and a Dog and Griff.
On 2 and 3 August The Chair will play the Scottish Arts Council-funded Scottish showcase at Cambridge Folk Festival.
Other summer festival performances for The Chair take place at Brampton Live in Carlisle (19 July) and at Stokes Bay Festival in Hampshire (1 August).
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For more information visit the The Chair's website or their myspace site. | |