Archive

Since releasing their debut album Long Way to be Free in December 2009, Dublin and Bilbao based folksters Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies have been touring almost non-stop throughout Ireland, the UK, Spain and a few other European countries with their intimate rootsy performances spiced with joyous sing-a-long choruses and quirky circus rhythms. The musical partnership between guitarist Harry Bird (Edinburgh) and fiddler Christophe Capewell (Sheffield) goes back almost ten years to their busking days as students in the north east of England, amidst folk sessions, reggae bands and anti-war demonstrations. After moving to the Basque country and Catalunya respectively, it was the Irish trad scene in Barcelona which was to inspire Christophe to set up home in Dublin where he was eventually to meet singer and artist Maria Blackwell. In 2008 a tour of Ireland with a German pop group landed the three on stage together for the first time. The unabashed enjoyment led to a further collaboration as Chincho por Tátou, a Basque circus band accompanying a group of trapeze artists in the fiestas and festivals of Spain, before seeing them come together in their current guise as Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies. During the summer of 2009 they recorded their debut album Long Way to be Free, a home grown collection of songs exploring love, faith and displacement in a world made up of contradictions. The self-produced album was recorded over five months in five different countries and was released on their own label, Hot Drop Records. They were recently played on BBC Radio2 by Mike Harding, who said he loves their album, and will be touring in England, Wales and Ireland in August and September. They’re also currently involved in a British Arts’ Council project called Songs of the Sea with Gwyneth Herbert. For all their tour dates and other information you can visit: www.myspace.com/harrybirdsongs www.hotdroprecords.com You can also visit the following link to watch a stop motion animation video for one of the songs from Long Way to be Free which was made by Maria earlier this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh6LNv_gzjE