Line Up: Cliffy – Vocals/Bass, Janni – Vocals/Guitar, Wisey – Drums/Backing Vocals, Witty – Guitars.

Leeds (UK) based punk band The Swindells.

Spoken word and other stuff from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Singer with Parson's Lot and CAMBODiA, writer, performer, activist, campaigner, ex miner, ex many things. 
Profile photo credit to Sally Lomas.

"The greatest thing to come out of Barnsley since the A61 to Sheffield"
Jarvis Cocker

"Loved The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican. Great fun"
Jason Manford, comedian
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"Some of the funniest men on the planet... parodists extraordinaire"
Mike Harding, comedian, folk-musician, author & broadcaster

"A ridiculous family of genius, hilarious, irresistible music makers, currently crowd-surfing to the bar all over the great county of Yorkshire and beyond, into the venues and music festivals of the UK. Long may they rock... but gently"
Eliza Carthy MBE - Folk musician

Put on yer finest knitted gladrags, style your barnet, put on your dancing shoes and bring your finest singing voices, as we cordially invite you to witness the Greatest Show On Earth (in tank-tops).

Hailing from Barnsley Rock City in t'North, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are on a mission! Determined to follow in their spiritual father’s immortal footsteps and keep his legacy alive, they have a talent for Bar-Stewardizing other famous people’s songs with new comedy lyrics, on acoustic geetar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, keyboard, keytar, and the world's first synthesiser ukulele! To complete their squeaky-clean image, brothers-from-other-mothers Scott, Björn and Alan have become instantly recognisable for their immaculate hair and their stylish choice of knitwear.
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Founded in Barnsley Rock City in 2006 by their outspoken and energetic ringleader, Scott Doonican, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are on a mission! Far from being your typical folk ensemble, this cult-like collective of like-minded knit-wear enthusiasts are determined to follow in their spiritual father’s immortal footsteps and keep his legacy alive. Scott and his brothers-from-other-mothers, Alan Doonican, Mo-Jo Doonican, Dave Doonican and Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Rickenbacker Doonican III, have quite the talent for Bar-Stewardizing other famous people’s songs with new satirical comedy lyrics, on folk instruments. To complete their outrageously understated image, the Doonicans have become instantly recognisable in festival fields and venues up and down the country for their immaculate hair and their stylish choice of sexy knitwear, and instantly memorable for their lairy, no-holds-barred, anarchic live shows.
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A group that is both perpetually on the move, ever-evolving and joyously independent, they have played over 1350 side-splitting shows to date, and have brought smiles and belly-laughs to audiences across the UK; from Barnsley to Barnstaple, from Glastonbury to Glasgow. They continue to wow audiences with a fine selection of their greatest hits, including the likes of “Jump Ararnd”, “The Lady In Greggs”, "The Devil Went Darn To Barnsley", "How Deep Is Your Glove?", "Paint 'em Back", "Goat Yoga", and “If I Could Punch A Face… It’d Be Justin Bieber’s”.

Over the last 19 years, The Bar-Steward Sons have written and recorded eleven studio albums, independently released over 40 live recordings, successfully crowd-funded nine separate independent vinyl releases, played on top of mountains, wowed-festival goers across the length and breadth of the UK, had six different beers brewed and named in their honour by four different breweries (one of which, 'Doonicans' is a SIBA Gold and Silver award-winning part of the brewery's core range of ales), they have sold-out seven consecutive shows on a Mississippi paddle-steamer on the Norfolk Broads in less than 20 seconds, hosted their own sell-out music and comedy festivals, written & performed in their own musical, are featured in the Experience Barnsley Museum Music Archives, hold the bar-takings record for at least ten theatres, have been the recipients of six different individual awards as voted for by the public in the Barnsley Music Awards, played to 20,000 people at Fairport's Cropredy Convention (twice!), the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury Festival (twice!), recorded collaborations with the likes of Frank Turner and Eliza Carthy, and even scaled the dizzy heights of a #1 and a #2 single and a #2 album on the iTunes Comedy Charts (plus a National chart position in the Top 100)!  That's not too shabby for a daft little unsigned comedy folk band from Barnsley, who manage themselves, eh?

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The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican can’t wait to bring their shindig to a venue or festival field somewhere near you and they promise that they WILL rock you… but gently!

23 February 2018 sees the release of "45 Revolutions Per Minute", a special retrospective by Liverpool band Candy Opera. Lovingly unearthed and compiled for release on 16-track vinyl and 18-track CD by Firestation Records, the album is set to relaunch a great lost gem of the seminal '80s scene for the delight of collectors and new fans alike.

As they gear up to celebrate 20 years of riotous marauding, the Dub Pistols are prepping their seventh as-yet-untitled album in 2017 and there’ll be a documentary about the band dropping at some point in the year, too. And they’ll be out on the road, as usual, of course — the hardest working band in showbiz.

A kinda 21st century equivalent of 2-Tone acts The Specials or The Beat, the Dub Pistols are the quintessential festival band. Coming over a bit like if King Tubby and The Skatalites bumped into Terry Hall at a Goldie gig, the Dubs have reached their two decade milestone with a lot of ups and downs along the way. 

They’ve worked with vocal legends like Rodney P, Busta Rhymes, Gregory Isaacs, Terry Hall, Lindy Layton, Akala and Horace Andy, while the band’s mainstays are fiercely loyal and dedicated. An unorthodox collective of musicians who each have their own personal interests and solo projects, when they come together to form the Dub Pistols some dubwise magic happens.

The rhythm section of Jack (drums) and Dave (bass) are granite-solid, and guitarist Andreas (or sometimes the rock & roll stand-in, Johnny Rockstar) provides all sorts of licks and skanking chords to nice up the dance. The brass section is on fire, and rapper Seanie Tee brings the mic skills to complement main man Barry Ashworth perfectly. They’re a proper gang of outlaws, rebels with a cause, renegade outsiders who know how to bring the good times. If you haven’t seen the Pistols yet
Barry might be the heart, face and mouth of the Dubs, but they are still very much a band — as tight as fuck, and yet able to cut loose to rock venues to the core. Tracks like epic drum & bass cut ‘Gunshot’, ska ditty ’Problem Is’, early beat-freak single ‘Cyclone’ and singalong anthem ‘Mucky Weekend’ have become firm fan favourites, and onstage see the band getting deep, down and dirty. With a nod to their ska influence, and the fact that Terry Hall was an honorary Dub Pistol for a few years, they still do a lively version of ‘Gangsters’ - The Specials’ first ever single. But otherwise it’s all their own work — the back catalogue is rich in flavas.

“The next album is actually a bit more chilled-out than the last two,” says Barry. “It’s still a classic Dub Pistols album, but ‘Return Of The Pistoleros’ and ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ were more club-orientated — leaning more towards peak-time bangers. This album is a bit more relaxed, with a smoked-out reggae vibe — although there are still a couple of bangers on there.”

The guests on the next album read like a who’s who of conscious styles. Dancehall dons Beenie Man and Cutty Ranks, reggae singer Earl16, young hip-hop act Too Many T's, seminal MCs Navigator and the Ragga Twins, and long-time collaborator Lindy Layton (and dope rapper Genesis Elijah??) all bring their unique talents. Some of these will be appearing with the Dubs live over the coming year as the band present a history lesson in all the different bases they’ve covered over the past two decades. With added bass!

Band members may have come and gone, but the progression of the core of the band is constant. “It’s never like everyone leaves at once,” says Barry. “People’s priorities change: they get married or have kids and the lifestyle isn't for them anymore, so they leave — but luckily not all at the same time. So someone new comes in, and suddenly it feels like a new band.”

The Mariners are a four piece outfit from Nottingham drawing on influences from psychedelic pop sensibilities of the 60’s.
 
Made up of Luke Williamson (vocals and acoustic rhythm), Paul Iliffe (lead), Luke Headland (bass) and Richard Pine (drums), The Mariners have crafted a catalogue of self-penned songs over the last year ready for release in 2020 including their debut singles Cathy Come Home and Bring Her Back To Me.

Contributing to the overthrow of the corrupt capitalist system through the power of song.

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