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CEILIDH BAND

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We're having a bit of a hiatus at the moment, so the band line up currenly comprises Ceri, Chris & Danny with the addition of Anna (fiddle) & Kate (bass) from Treebeard, and Karen on clarinet, sax and keyboard.

 

Biography

Many moons ago, Chris, Paul and Chis were born in Sheffield. For decades they made a tremendous din playing rock music in bands such as Haze, World Turtle, Three-Legged Cat, Strongheart, Treebeard, and CPF. Less moons ago, sisters Cat and Ceri were born in Wales. In their earlier years they amused themselves by morris dancing, and playing folk music with bands Derwenna, Hiraeth, the Elastic Band, the Mountain Oyster Band, and Here Be Dragons. In the summer of 2006, Ceri spent many long weeks as a solitary goat-herdess. The loneliness drove her to insanity. She began talking to herself, and to the trees, the tree-seedlings, the sheep and the goats. One evening as she sat by her camp-fire, the feeling came over her that she was destined to be in a folk/rock/ceilidh band, with some men from Sheffield twice her age. And thus was born The Outlandish Knights.

 Band Members

Ceri Ashton The Outlandish Knbights ceilidh band

Ceri Ashton – Flute, Clarinet, Whistle

Ceri has over ten years’ experience of playing folk music, in bands including The Elastic Band, The Mountain Oyster Band, Treebeard, Derwenna and Hiraeth.  She is also an experienced dancer; she has danced with border side Boggart’s Breakfast, and been president of the Sheffield University Ceilidh Society.

Ceri first got into music when she was 15, when she went to Conwy Folk Club with sister Cat.  She earned her beer money for the rest of her school years playing with local folk band ‘The Elastic Band’, then she too came to Sheffield for University and never left, except for the year with the goats, but we won’t talk about that.

Many of the bands tunes are written by Ceri, and a number of them have been played & recorded by established ceilidh bands such as Hekety and The Glory Strokes.

Ceri has played at a number of folk clubs and festivals with the Mountain Oyster Band, including Midgestock, Bull Bay Folk Festival and Folk at the Manor, Wallasey. 

Catrin Ashton The Outlandish Knights ceilidh band Cat Ashton – Fiddle, Flute

Morris fanatic with Pecsaetan and real ale connoisseur Cat also played in Ceilidh Band  Derwenna and plays in folk band Hiraeth.  She has been on European tours with folk rock band Here Be Dragons.  She came to Sheffield for University, found the folk scene and the pubs, and never left.

Cat & Ceri have played Ryburn 3 step, Phoenix, Manchester, Mumpers, Godalming & Sheffield University Ceilidhs, as well as Skipton Step Festival and Sheffield Folk Festival.  They were finalists of the New Roots young folk competition in 2004 with Hiraeth, and have played at a number of folk clubs including Conwy Folk Club, the Holly Bush (Sheffield), and Stortfolk.

Chris McMahon The Outlandish Knigths ceilidh band Chris McMahon - bass, 12 string guitar, keyboards

Chris has been playing music for a lot longer than Cat and Ceri have been alive, although he only got into folk music fairly recently. He started out in Haze, a progressive-rock band which was fairly big round about the time Cat and Ceri were being born, then split up, but reformed for a 20th anniversary, while Cat and Ceri were completing their education, and now do the occasional gig. 

Haze consists of Chris, Paul and Chis, so effectively it lives on within the Outlandish Knights.  After Haze came Treebeard, an acoustic band in which Chris, Paul and Chis were joined by Chris Jellis (guitar) and Gordon Walker (fiddle), and later by Ceri. 

Chris has played Stainsby, Glasson Dock, Holmfirth & Solfest folk festivals & tours the folk clubs with Paul Pearson, a talented & original interpreter of modern folk songs.

Paul McMahon The Outlandish Knigths ceilidh band Paul McMahon - guitar, bass

Paul started playing guitar & writing songs at age 13, and spent his evenings in practising the guitar, while Chris was out practising his drinking. This stood Paul in good stead for when the band was on tour, as he was always sober to drive the van after gigs. 

Chris & Paul have played together for years in Haze, World Turtle, and Treebeard, touring Italy, Holland, Switzerland & Belgium, and have slept in every lay-by in the UK (probably). Treebeard play a blend of folk, rock, and pop, referred to as ‘Heavy Wood’, and described as ‘a perfect accompaniment for beer’. They are an established act on the Beer Festival circuit.

Paul writes tunes names after his two children and the legendary Brown Bear of Bolsterstone. He has also taken up the bass, and more recently, the drums. What next? Roadie-ing?

Danny McMahon - drums

Son of guitarist Paul McMahon, Danny has been playing drums since age 7. When original Outlandish Knights/Haze/Treebeard drummer Paul Chisnell announced his retirement in 2012, Danny was the obvious, indeed only, choice, although good friend Trev Cunnington from Jabberwocky stood in on some shows when school commitments precluded Danny's appearance.

Now studying Music Technology at Red Tape Central and taking drum lessons from the legendary Bobby Arechiga of Strongheart, Danny brings a new energy & excitement to the bands' sound, and is a worth successor to Paul Chisnell.

 

Previous Bookings

3rd June 2006 Lockerbrook Centre Bamford*
11th November 2006 Wadsley Club Sheffield
17th  December  2006  Lantern Theatre Sheffield
10th  February 2007 Millennium Hall Sheffield
10th  March 2007 Hanover Hall Sheffield
5th May 2007 Scout Centre Hesley Wood*
30th July 2007 West Street Live (concert) Sheffield
3rd August 2007 Blah Blah Bar Barnsley*
17th August 2007 Hallam Uni Sheffield*
18th August 2007 Sports Club Pontefract
21st September 2007  St Davids Hall Holmbridge
29th December 2007 St Andrews Hall (caller Richard Masters) Sheffield*
2nd January 2008 Kilnhurst (private party) Mexborough
4th January 2008 Bar Abbey (private party) Sheffield
12th January 2008 Norton Club (private party) Sheffield
2nd February 2008 Village Hall (private party) Bradfield
3rd February 2008 Mumpers Ceilidh PUBLIC (caller John Brown) Derby
8th February 2008 University Ceilidhsoc PUBLIC (caller John Brown) Sheffield 
1st March 2008 Shiregreen (private party) Sheffield
26th April 2008 Village Hall (private party) Holmbridge
16th May 2008 Scarborough Spa (private party) Scarborough
2nd  August  2008 Memorial Hall (private party) Wetherby
31st August 2008 Weston Park PUBLIC 2-4pm Sheffield
5th August 2008 Anchor Gardens  PUBLIC (caller John Brown) Sidmouth Festival
6th  September 2008 Parish Hall (private party) Holmbridge
17th October 2008 Rutland Hotel (private party) Sheffield
18th  October 2008 Walkley Primary School (private party) Sheffield*
14th February 2009 Newbold (private party) nr Hull
15th March 2009 The Big White Tent (concert band) Fargate, Sheffield
26th March 2009 Manchester ceilidh (with John Brown) Manchester University
17th April 2009 Folk Thing (concert band) Ashby Folville
9th May 2009 Scarborough Spa (private party) Scarborough
16th May 2009 private party Worksop
6th June 2009 Peace in the Park Sheffield
10-12 July 2009 Cat Fest North Wales
18 July 2009 private party W Yorks
1 August 2009 The Swan (private party) Leek
2 August 2009 Anchor Gardens (4pm) Sidmouth Festival  
3 August 2009 Anchor Gardens (12 noon) Sidmouth Festival  
8 August 2009 Bulverton Marquee* Sidmouth Festival  
17 August 2009 Private party Brimington
23 August 2009 Weston Park Sheffield
1 September 2009 Private Party Chesterfield
25 September 2009 Intro Ceilidh The Edge, Endcliffe Student Village Sheffield
14 November 2009 Private Party Holmbridge
5 February 2010 Private Party Sheffield
20 March 2010 Private Party Ashby Folville
15 May 2010 Private Party Church Stretton
29 May 2010 Private Party Sheffield
12 June 2010 Worrall Folk Festival Worrall, Sheffield (5-7pm)
17 July 2010 Private party Tickhill
8 August 2010 Weston Park Bandstand Sheffield (2-4pm)
4 September 2010 private party Sheffield
25 September 2010 private party Bath
17 December 2010 Ceilidhsoc Christmas PUBLIC Ceilidh, Croft House Sheffield 8-midnight
28 December 2010 Green Party Benefit PUBLIC Ceilidh, St Andrews Church Sheffield 7-11pm
9 April 2011 private party Nottingham
10 April 2011 The Burton Street Foundation PUBLIC Ceilidh 7-9pm admission free Sheffield
4 June 2011 Peace in the Park (PUBLIC) Sheffield
17 June 2011 private party Worksop
18 June 2011 private party Hope
31 July 2011 Weston Park Bandstand PUBLIC Ceilidh 2-4pm admission free Sheffield
5 August 2011 private party Bradfield
6 August 2011 private party Chesterfield
10 September 2011 private party Sheffield
7 November 2011 The Botanical (concert) Sheffield
3 December 2011 Hallam University (concert) Sheffield
9 March 2012 The Edge - Endcliffe Student Village PUBLIC Sheffield
22 March 2012 private party Mitton Hall
12  May 2012 private party Ecclesall
2 June 2012 private party Barnborough
18 August 2012 private party Worrall
1 September 2012 private party Sheffield
8 September 2012 private party Arkholme
27 October 2012 private party Chatsworth
6 April 2013 private party Sheffield
13 April 2013  Beer Festival Doncaster
4 May 2013 private party Roecliffe
7 June 2013 The Edge - Endcliffe Student Village PUBLIC Sheffield
29 June 2013 private party Buxton
14 September 2013 private party Ely
26 July 2014 private party Wirksworth

Quotes

'Thanks for a great night' private gig, The Wadsley Club, Sheffield, November 2006
'Fruit beer's great, it's like beer, but fruity' Ceri, Christmas 2006
'Much merriment throughout the evening, the band created a superb upbeat atmosphere and Fairytale of New York was an excellent finish to a wonderful night! The audience reveled and caroused in the xmas spirit and left with gladdened hearts! Thanks everyone, you were brilliant! Great guys, great music, great beards!' Jenny Sides, gig at the Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, December 2006
'Carrots of the Pirabbean' Ceri, Christmas 2006
‘Fantastic music.  Thanks so much, we all had a brilliant night’.   private booking

'The Outlandish Knights were great to work with.  They have a large repertoire, and are good at matching tunes to dances.  Their lively music pulled everyone onto the dance floor and told their feet what to do’.  Caller John Brown
'Fab!' Caller Jenny Langridge.
"Very energetic danceable music... definitely a band to watch out for." Pete Rees

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