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Artist
The Vagaband
12+ albums
countryswing
about
...honest, good time, rock’n’rollin’ countrybilly of the highest order” - DJ 78. The Vagaband play roots music. The elements of country, folk, rock, soul & swing filter through the sound. The mood is joyous, the songs are colourful and the dance floor is bouncing. Sometimes ironic, othertimes weighty, the band enjoy balancing their act between choice covers, energetic original songs with an infectious beat and old time classic’s that deal with those age old honkytonk issues - love, death and choo-choo trains! José Mcgill’s history of working with street acts (Roxy’s Toolbox/Swervy World), cabaret (Herbie Treehead Band) and touring bands (Them Heads) brings an eclectic sensibilty to the band. A soulful singer, this guy knows how to own a song. Longterm musical partner and pedal steel player Patrick Arbuthnott (The Rockingbirds/Hank Wangford Band/Jimmy Nail Band) provides that signature country tone with accompaniment from Joe Wright (Fairport Convention’s Martin Alcock) on the fiddle. Meanwhile, Ali Houiellebecq (Le La Les/The Sweetbeats) sighs sweet high end harmonies then honks her sax like a badass in tandem with the belting trumpet of Hugh Stanners’ (Royal Academy of Music to The Vagaband - what a journey!). It's all glued together by the Araldite stomp of the drum n’ bass, now with added tongue n’ groove, courtesy of falsetto-singing bassman Tristan Roche and young Dan Reynolds’ (no.1 in Japan!) on the drumkit. The Vagaband’s first gig was in a warehouse in Hackney. Two g
