Monster Ceilidh Band

ARTIST: Monster Ceilidh Band

COUNTRY: UK

GENRE: Céilidh: cheerful and high-energy, happy non-stop danceable Gaelic Folk/Roots/World music for social dance parties

MORE ABOUT: Outrageously foot-stomping tunes from this Newcastle based four-piece who mix quirky tunes with beats and attitude. Elegant traditional playing versus raucous rave-like rhythms reveals arrangements to ignite the dance floor.

The Monster Ceilidh Band is a fresh, new Newcastle-based ceilidh band fusing the traditional with the modern. The Monsters are starting a revolution everywhere they play. Beginning as a humble ceilidh band, they used their collected knowledge of different styles and genres to form new ways of playing traditional and contemporary music. The Monsters decided to organize monthly ceilidhs in Newcastle to bring folk music to a wider audience. As each ceilidh grew in attendance the Monsters grew from strength to strength. Now the band is formidable – spending more and more time arranging and composing new music that demands attention! Drawing on a wealth of combined knowledge they excite, uplift and entertain masterfully. Having played alongside each other in an array of different line-ups, the monsters create a lively stage show which they skillfully translate to the dance floor.

The journey from ceilidh to club has taken many directions for the Monsters. These new directions have seen many opportunities for the Monsters to flex their creative muscles. Exploring the world of electronic composition has been a large part of it. Working together with local legendary Drum and Bass producer Joseph Truswell aka ‘the touch’ is producing some truly unique listening experiences. Listen to the first collaboration on Stomach Steinway Remix on the MySpace player. The crucible is hot and the monsters are tempering their new darker electronic side. They’ll be premiering their new 100% Electric sound over the summer so keep an ear to the ground. Or just turn on your radio because the Monsters have already been rocking all over the UK on the BBC, Folk Alley over in America and stations in Europe as well. The Monsters have even gone mobile with the collaboration with the iherd application on iphone. Are the Monsters the first ceilidh band to use a Beatboxer? Do a ceilidh only lit by UV cannons? Take inspiration directly from bands such as Megadeth and the Ganja Crew? Be involved with composition for computer games? Who knows…. but make sure you stay tuned to find out what the next innovations are going to be. We will also keep the avid music listener keenly rocketing through uncharted aural atmospheres.

The Monsters are trying to open up the possibilities of the word ‘ceilidh’ it’s original meaning having been lost. A ‘ceilidh’ was a word used to describe a social gathering like a ‘knees up’ , a get together, a party (it still is in Scotland) – there’d probably be music, talking, drinking, smoking, courting and dancing. Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll! It’s ‘a dance as old as time’ as Jez Lowe says on the Monster’s “Make Me A Dancer” album. When the Monsters play they may be calling dances, they may not be – one thing’s for sure there’s going to be a monster party, or ceilidh, if you will. And there’s only one band for a monster ceilidh – The Monster Ceilidh Band!

Carly Blain plays fiddle, border fiddlers dont get much better than this! Carly rips out tunes which make feet stamp and hearts pound. Carly also plays with Harris Playfair’s Junction Pool, The House Sisters and Scottish Border Young Fiddlers.

Amy Thatcher brings elegance, sophistication and class to the Monsters – Amy plays accordion like Jekyll and Hyde; sometimes flourishing and decorous, at others hard and fast. You may have seen Amy recently playing in the Kathryn Tickell Band and The Shee.

Dave De La Haye is a demonic bass player/composer who stands out in Newcastle as one of the leading lights in contemporary music. Dave is firmly ‘in the pocket’ and has one monstrous groove. Dave also tours with Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies.

Kieran Szifris on mandocello/octave mandolin brings raucous rhythm and harmony which drives and underpins the band. His quirky riffs resonate through the Monsters sound. Kieran also plays out with the mighty Hundred Man Orchestra.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:

- “St. Patrick’s Day Festival” (2010) (various artists)
- “British Music at WOMEX” (2009) (various artists)
- “Make Me A Dancer” (2009)

SELECTED PRESS REVIEWS AND QUOTES:

“Just a word to say how brilliant the Monsters gig was at Purbeck Folk Festival. In spite of failing farm electrics, they created the most amazing atmosphere.” (Paul Burke, Purbeck Festival)

“This Monster hurls tradition into the 21st century” (Susan Hartman, Driftwood Magazine)

“Monster Ceilidh Band provided new vibes to what we all call ‘old folks tunes’ nowadays” (cyrildason, Sarawak Bloggers)

“Monster Ceilidh Band, who aimed to show the “old, bearded men back home that ceilidh can be fun” enchanted the crowd with their energetic, quirky tunes” (Nazreen Tajul Arif, virtualmalaysia.com)

“Monster Ceilidh Band bring their brand of footstomping ceilidh music to Borneo’s very own rainforest world music festival” (eventful.com)

‎”Rave party energy: Monster Ceilidh Band, hailing from Newcastle, England, is a zany folk dance quartet with a difference” (ecentral.my)

‎”Hailing from Newcastle, England, is the Monster Ceilidh Band, a twisted folk-driven quartet that is built to fuel the good vibes and stomping mayhem. Renowned for rave party energy and heavy metal chord progressions, Monster Ceilidh Band has also been championed by influential British-based fRoots magazine and concert dates with The Levellers and Eliza Carthy have edged the group closer to mainstream visibility.” (e-borneo.com)

“Aside from dancing to the beat of world music from heavyweights like Farafina (Burkina Faso), Monster Ceilidh Band (UK) and Novalima (Peru), it’s the festival vibe that bring loyal followers back for more and attract newcomers to the event.” (Jean Goon, MSN Entertainment)

‎”In the ‘Fiddling Around’ workshop, bowed instruments took centre stage as musicians from Monster Ceilidh Band, Bisserov Sisters, BraAgas, De Temps Antan, Debu, Reelroad’b and Musafir Gypsies of Rajasthan shared their gems of information. Led by Carly Blain of the UK-based Monster Ceilidh Band, it was a session of furious fiddling, showcasing the versatility of bowed instruments from around the world.” (“RWMF workshops a hit with music fans”, Borneo Post)

“Newcastle-based Monster Ceilidh kept the vibes going with quirky arrangements of folk music” (Madanmohan Rao, music.techsparks.com)

‎”This year, the Festival will see headlining acts like Farafina from Burkina Faso, Monster Ceilidh Band from the United Kingdom, and Novalima from Peru, rocking the stage.” (about the Rainforest World Music Festival, klue.com.my)

“The performers for the second night of RWMF2010 were not that bad, which we could see bands like Ensemble Shanbehzadeh from Iran, Kimura-Ono-Duo from Japan, Minuit Guibolles from France, Braagas from Czech Republic, Leila Negrau fron Reunion Island, Monster Ceilidh Band from United Kingdom and Farafina from Burkina Faso. All of them were awesome! They made the party gone wild with their instruments and musics.” (amieyalen.com)

‎”Monster Ceilidh Band from the UK had beautiful tunes as they try their best to diminish the idea that folk tunes are only meant for old men with long beard” (cyrildason.com)

“Thank you so much for an amazing concert. I hope I will soon have to see you again on a stage somewhere in the world” (Jutta Skau)

“On stage, in front of thousands, their music inspired dancing as the crowd kicked it up in the rain soaked mud of the arena” (Maria Bakkalapulo, National Geographic)

“The Monsters were a great addition to the fest, and did a great job” (Randy Raine-Reusch, Rainforest World Music Festival)

“It was a super gig – everyone danced all night long!” (Grassington Festival)

“The Monster Ceilidh Band is one of the best-known ceilidh bands in the UK and plays at large festivals and events all over the world” (Craven Herald & Pioneer)

“The music’s up-tempo, happy and energetic – dance music with its feet in the heritage and tradition of the British Isles” (Grassington Festival)

“This performance brings a new breed of Ceilidh dancing to generations new and old all over the world” (Kings Place Festival)

“Get entertained, energised and electrified with the Monster Ceilidh Band and their outrageously funky grooves that mix elegant traditional playing with raucous rave-like rhythms” (Kings Place Festival)

“European Folk instrumentalists of the year” (The Acoustic Festival of Britain)

“The brilliant and exhilarating music of the Monster Ceilidh Band has its roots in tradition; but the combination of their talents has produced something innovative, contemporary, fresh and dynamic” (Grassington Festival)

Monster Ceilidh Band were nominated for best instrumental album of 2009 by Spiral Earth

Monster Ceilidh Band received Time Out Magazine’s ‘Critics’ Choice’ for their concert at Kings Place on 7th November 2009, as part of the London International Festival of Exploratory Music (LIFEM)

Monster Ceilidh Band were included in the British Music at WOMEX 2009 official CD, organised by the Arts Council England, Association of Independent Music and UK Trade & Investment

“One of the best folk dance crossovers yet to be put on the market” (Jonathon Muirhead, www.whatismusic.com)

“An energetic first album from Monster Ceilidh Band, a talented four piece from the Borders… Combining traditional and very good modern tunes the album crackles along very merrily indeed” (Martin Pain, Bright Young Folk)

“The coolest ceilidh band around” (Kathryn Tickell)

“A Godzilla of a band with talent as deep as loch ness!” (Jez Lowe)

“The Monsters really stepped up the energy when they played the National Forest Folk Festival with two outrageously foot stomping sets. The hit of the whole festival without a shadow of a doubt” (Mike Scott – National Forest Folk Festival)

“Outrageously foot stomping sounds” (Off the Tracks Festival)

“An album of twists and turns and infectious charm, anarchic ceilidh for a riotous generation” (Aidan O’Rourke, LAU)

“So grab your dancing shoes (and glowsticks) and look out for the next monster ceilidh near you” (Emily Portman, fRoots)

SELECTED PERFORMANCES:

- Kings Place Festival, UK (2010)
- Purbeck Folk Festival, UK (2010)
- Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo/Malaysia (2010)
- Warwick Folk Festival, UK (2010)
- Grassington Festival, UK (2010)
- Peace in the Park Festival, UK (2010)
- Acoustic Festival of Britain (Mayfest), UK (2010)
- St Patrick’s Day Festival, Russia (2010)
- Sage Gateshead, UK (2009, 2010)
- National Forest Folk Festival, UK (2009, 2010)
- London International Festival of Exploratory Music, UK (2009)
- Off the Tracks Festival, UK (2009)
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, UK (2009)

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