w a r b l e f l y Biog page

This page is a who is who and a what happened when. For info for festival programmes and press releases please visit our press pack page

Who's who?

w a r b l e f l y currently consists of these 8 people:

Frank van Veen	Dave Hodgson	Steve Harker	Pete Frizzell	Elly van Veen	Andrew Beckerman	David Hassell	Minna Harman

Short biography

w a r b l e f l y started out in 1995 as a group of friends got together to drink and play folk tunes. Unhindered by skill but full of energy they soon progressed from playing in a small college bar to local pubs, folk clubs, art centres and countless private functions until in 1998 they were invited to Cairo, Egypt. Here during a mental week of hugely successful gigs they changed their sound to a faster and punchier style and never looked back. They went on to win the prize by popular vote for Best Act at a major Dutch street music festival, gigged in France and continued to play their usual haunts in England. In 2001 they released the album the sinful, wise and insane and they made increasingly frequent appearances at festivals around England. In 2003 warblefly were invited to play at the Glastonbury Festival and May 2004 saw the release of their new album crashing through the trees. The warblefly repertoire now contained an impressive catalogue of strong originals as well as trad standards that have been given the trademark warblefly treatment. The highlight of 2004 was a support slot for the legendary Shane MacGowan. More festival appearances for bigger crowds than ever before followed in 2005. The next year was spent mostly with refreshing the line-up and the repertoire after the departure of lead singer/bassist Griff but warblefly still managed to squeeze in a few cracking festivals. In December 2006 a new demo was recorded and the band is now once again ready to get up and get the crowds going.

Long biography (for the more obsessive fan)

w a r b l e f l y formed gradually from an ever increasing group of likeminded people who used to get together for a bit of a twiddle a few drinks too many. Somehow they managed to build up a repertoire and in 1995 they started performing regularly in the small college bar where they had met. Gigs in folk clubs, pubs and the Henley Rockatta followed and warblefly developed a taste for the spotlight. They soon got themselves a name for their lively performances and could be seen at weddings, college balls, village fetes and art centres as well as the usual pub and club circuit. In 1997 they spend a single day in the studio to record their first album warblefly, a collection of the trad standards and occasional original that made up the repertoire in those days.

Then, having been spotted at the Windsor Art Centre, they were invited to play at the Cairo Hilton in Egypt for a week of St. Patricks Day celebrations. This proved to be a turning point as during this wild week the repertoire was expanded with some now classic live items such as The Sweaty Craic, and warblefly shifted up a gear to produce a punchier, more aggressive sound. Double bass made way for electric bass, the bass drum was joined by an ever expanding drum kit and the electric guitar made more and more appearances. In the same year they travelled to The Netherlands to appear at the Gouden Pet International Street Music Festival in the town of Leiden where they were voted Best Act and sold hundreds of cds. Life was good.

The next couple of years saw warblefly gigging around their usual haunts to which were added residencies in pubs in Oxford and Reading. They crossed the Channel once more to busk and gig their way around NW France and back in England started to make appearances at festivals in Bracknell and South End among others. In the mean time they occasionally spend a weekend in the studio to record tracks for their second album The Sinful, Wise and Insane which was released in 2001. More festival appearances followed, this time with a main stage slot at Bracknell and a destructive 3 days at Sidmouth of all places. This, and critical acclaim from the Celtic punk press, meant that the SW&I album was selling well at home and abroad.

Trouble was brewing however as day jobs and geography started to get in the way and warblefly stagnated. No new tracks were recorded for over a year and festival slots dried up. Angry with themselves, warblefly decided to relaunch in autumn 2002. The repertoire was refreshed and new songs were written faster than they could be recorded. In spring 2003 warblefly returned to the festival circuit with a storming performance at Off the Tracks, followed by a string of festivals over the summer with as highlight an appearance at Glastonbury on the Avalon Main Stage.

warblefly’s 3rd album crashing through the trees was released in May 2004. It contained their most powerful work yet and soon found a worldwide audience thanks to the wonders of the internet and critical acclaim from both the folk- and the celtic punk press. Live, the highlight that year was a support slot for the legendary Shane MacGowan. More of the same for followed, sometimes for bigger audiences than ever before, but then in early 2006 the growing-up-disease claimed another victim. Lead singer and bassist Griff left the band only to find himself replaced by a gang of 3 sprity young things and a move by drummer Dave from drumkit to microphone. Most of 2006 was spent re-inventing warblefly with the new line-up and a refreshed repertoire. Two final festival appearances with Griff followed in September at the Bunkfest and the Hairth and then the new band knuckled down to produce a fresh demo. This was recorded in December and proves that once again warblefly has managed to refresh itself and is ready to get out there and have more adventures…catch them if you can.