ALL BLACKED UP

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

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

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the music, dances and people that are All Blacked Up.........

been there, done it - and you can have a look......

you can enjoy All Blacked Up at home or on the move

ceilidhs are what we do and you could join us.....

So how would you really describe All Blacked Up? ....Well, we see us as something like this:

Not quite traditional as we are second generation revivalists having mostly learnt our music from the bands who helped relaunch the English folk tradition - though Bill is one of the true revival musicians [having played with The Albion Band and Home Service].....

As individuals some of us are pleased to have played in sessions with the real source musicians that the folk revival relied upon 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. And if we were his village band we suspect we would also be banned from the church to be replaced by an organ....

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 - so all of our ceilidhs can be said to be unique....

Sometimes we get described as Folk Rock, and whilst the music is under-pinned by a rock style, the rolling english melodeon and the saxophone switching between traditional melodies and world music riffs mean that isn't a true fit - and anyway folk-rock is a dated term and All Blacked Up definately are not dated.....!

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 melody - so you will regularly find yourself dancing to the drums and guitars. And of course, we use the 'vocal talent' of Bill Caddick during a couple of dances.....which is probably the best bit.

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 their music. No Agents are involved - please talk to us direct via the contact from if you have any questions.