ALL BLACKED UP
traditional and original music played on acoustic and electric instruments
NEXT GIG
26/05/13 Chester
for details see the 'ceilidhs' page
Wimborne Folk Festival 2012
All Blacked Up are:
Alistair Gillies:
saxophones, whistles and recorders, hammered dulcimer.
Melanie Biggs:
two and one row melodeons
Baz Parkes:
one and two row melodeons, calling
Bill Caddick:
guitar, singing
Ray Archer:
bass guitar
Nick Beck:
drums and percussion
News: please scroll at the base for old news......
Thanks Haddenham - next Chester Folk Festival
A little break before we do Haddenham ceilidhs in May - follow the link on the ceilidhs page to book tickets......
Private party gig and then the lovely Bath ceilidhs - go to our ceilidh page and follow the link....
Exeter next and Mel Biggs first gig as a full member of All Blacked Up......
Sorry but understanding that Dave Parsons has decided to stop running Ruff ceilidhs after about 30 years - we thank him for the bookings and wish him the very best......
Ruff Ceilidhs Cardiff must be the most convenient being next to the motorway....
Lewes done - actually popped out for a pint AFTER the gig.....Next - Ruff ceilidhs Cardiff
Dorrington Village Hall Next - on the A49 below Shrewsbury......
Sandbach Day of Dance next - see our ceilidh page for contacts [oh yes, and a Small Blacked Up gig near Wolverhampton the day before....]
Dartmoor FolkFestival done and next up Shrewsbury Folk Festival - it is rumoured that the Saturday we are playing is Superheroes and Supervillians night - we are looking forward to it already.......
Stonkin' Middlewich ceilidh and now a gap, then a private ceilidh for the 25th Anniversary of a wedding that we [some of us] played for errr, 25 yrs ago.....then Dartmoor Folk Festival......
Middlewich Folk Festival next always a great evening.......
Gosh - what a nice comment from the Wimborne Folk Fest dance organiser [see headline].....
Festival season arrives for our next gigs at St Noets and the next day Wimborne........
well the rovolving arrow at the top tells us we are at Poynton Ceilidhs next - have a look at their website for all of the details:
www.poyntonceilidhs.co.uk
They limit tickets for comfort so check before travelling.....
Next up we have a Small Blacked Up playing for the Christian society at Keele Uni.....
Well we liked Bath Ceilidhs new venue - a very nice school hall above the city.
Thanks to all at Brownedge Village Hall for raising a profit of £400 for their prostate cancer charity at our ceilidh last Saturday - we now look forward to the wonderful Bath Ceilidhs - our first at their new venue.....
Merry Christmas everyone - next dance Oxfolk Ceilidhs, Jan 14th .......
looking forward to Haddenham Folk Festival 3rd December....
Thanks to the great Simon Care for stepping into Lisa's stilettos for the Stroud gig! Great job... next up Phoenix ceilidhs - see the ceilidh list....
Oh No! Lisa is ill and so cannot do Stroud Ceilidhs - but Oh Yes! it means that for one evening only you can dance to ABU and Simon Care! [Albion Band: Tickled Pink: Whapweasel etc etc]
Sandbach Day of Dance ceilidh was stonkin' - not many of the daytime dance teams stayed but we had a good crowd and some youngsters who were very good dancers......
Wedding gig at the poshest village hall in the country - Slaidburn....
ABU at the seaside.... Hastings , Jack-in-the-Green
23/04/11 Long day for some - on the radio to push the Bank Holiday Ceilidh, play for the Ironmen & Severn Gilders morris teams, go to a wedding and then ABU play for the wedding ceilidh.........
21/04/11 Why were we surprised at how good the Maths Teachers Conference gig was last night? Great crowd........
3/4/11 Great gig in Exeter - a wedding for friends and Alistair got to play at the ceremony....note - Holiday In Express is way better than Travelodge.......
13/11/10 Thanks to Earl of Stamford morris team for a great night at their annual ceilidh. A mummers play, high energy morris display, a full house 'plus a few' - what more do we need?
9/10/10 Wedding at the Shrigley Hall Hotel, Stockport
25/9/10 50th Birthday Party in Horwich....
24/9/10 ABU Ceilidhs put on a gig at Middlewich Civic Hall
Contact us
If you want to contact All Blacked Up you can use the contact page of this website or go straight to Ray on 07790 679469
.......and from a dancer in June 2011
'Better than I ever would have imagined........'
At the top of the English Ceilidh scene for the last 20 plus years All Blacked Up are a highly influential ceilidh band
who play traditional music and original compositions in their own distinctive style.
Led by melodeon and saxophone with guitar, bass and drums, and spicing it with harmonica and songs,
All Blacked Up provide a varied sound that is great for dancing to, or listening to.
At home on the biggest festival stage or in your local village hall All Blacked Up are available for your event
Probably the best ceilidh we ever had .........
NEWS FLASH - Mel Biggs is appearing on Tipping Point - which seems to be a TV game show on: Monday 17th June, 4pm, ITV1.
find out more about All Blacked Up........
So how would you really describe All Blacked Up? ....Well, we see us as something like this:
Not truely traditional as we mostly learnt our music from the bands who helped relaunch the English folk tradition when it was dying out but.........As individuals some of us are pleased to have played in sessions with the source musicians upon whom the folk revival relied and we definitely see ourselves in the 'English Country Music' tradition that goes back to Thomas Hardy's 'village band' - your music is shaped by the instruments you play. If we were his village band we suspect we would also be banned from the church to be replaced by an organ....[insert your own joke].
Most of us have been involved with morris dance sides - squires, foremen, dancers, and of course in the bands. As a result we really are focused upon the need for the music to fit the dances.....
We have the confidence to develop an arrangement on-stage. We don't only play straight folk tunes - with ABU you will hear interesting arrangements and our improvisations mean that all of our ceilidhs can be said to be unique....[another joke opportunity].
Occasionally we get described as Folk Rock, and whilst some of the music is under-pinned by a rock style, we feel that our music is much more subtle than that. The two melodeons playing English melody and then the saxophone switching between traditional melodies, improvisation and what might be called world music riffs mean that we probably inhabit a genre of our own;-)
We see the melody as king so at an All Blacked Up ceilidh the melody will be prominent and the whole experience will not be over loud. But we also recognise that in the middle of a dance people are dancing to the rhythm as much as the tune - so you will regularly find yourself dancing to the drums and guitars.
So we are what we are - All Blacked Up - a band that works hard at keeping the music fresh and relevant, who are rooted in the music of England [where-ever it comes from] and who are pleased to allow fresh and interesting things to develop during the playing.
Is it surprising that the music of All Blacked Up is so often described as 'influential'?
We were pleased that Nick Walden, after calling for us at Chippenham Folk Festival [2010] commented "interesting things kept on happening - all ceilidh bands should be like this.......".
All Blacked Up are at the top of the English Ceilidh scene only because of the music. Generally no Agents are involved and we can be a very cost effective solution as we have an in band caller and can run our own PA system - please talk to us direct via the contact form if you have any questions. If you are involved with an agency and would like to work with us then please talk to us.........
You are viewing the text version of this site.
To view the full version please install the Adobe Flash Player and ensure your web browser has JavaScript enabled.
Need help? check the requirements page.
