Bowstring - Ceilidh / Barn Dance Band

Bowstring are up there with the best bringing together some of the most skilled and experienced performers in their field.
Whether it’s St.Patrick’s, St. Andrew’s, St. George’s Day or Americana, Bowstring offer a full evening’s entertainment of music for dancing or songs for listening or a mixture of both, whatever the venue, at any time of year and anywhere in the world, be it indoors or outdoors, a corporate function, wedding, barn dance, ceilidh, concert or festival.

Bowstring have over 150 years' experience between them (they all started at a very young age).
As a band they have been together since 2007. Individually, the band members have worked all over the world, singing and playing for concerts and ceilidhs.
Martin, the caller, is one of the funniest around using his humour to put the audience and dancers at their ease.
Never would he attempt to humiliate anyone but to laugh with them (there is always a Mr. Bean or Homer Simpson at a ceilidh which makes his job much easier).
Bowstring, with their astonishing array of instruments, have a full and exciting sound, driving the dancers on.
The emphasis is very much on ENTERTAINMENT.

They can perform as either a duo, trio, quartet or quintet.

Band Members:

Chris Taylor - Bouzouki, Mandolin, Button Accordion. Mouth Organ, Vocals: A former member of The Oyster Band and Gas Mark Five, his part in the band Fiddler's Dram and their 1979 hit single “Day Trip To Bangor” recently earned him a place on the TV programme "Never Mind The Buzzcocks"! He is a powerhouse of a musician who can make a duo into a band and a band into something really special.

Ramona Egle - Guitar, Vocals & Zinte Egle - Violin, Whistles, Vocals: As the duo “Camine” they have toured France, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand and worked with Lori Anderson on the film Exodus directed by Penny Woolcock. They have played at many Arts Centres around Britain including the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford.

Martin Young - Cittern, Guitar, Vocals, Caller: has worked as a solo folk singer and with duos and bands in clubs, concert halls (Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, QE Conference Centre, Snape Maltings) and at festivals (Sidmouth, Cheltenham, Chorley, Upton-upon-Severn, Towersey, Broadstairs). He has also worked abroad in Canada, New Zealand and Europe. He has performed at the home of Roger Taylor of 'Queen' and with Chris Taylor and Ramona at Davington Priory, the home of Bob Geldof, on numerous occasions.
Radio: Capital & BBC
TV: Channel 4 with Show of Hands
Film: with Albion Morris for British Film Institute

Chris Sadler - Concertina, Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals: Ladies in Lavender feature film with Maggie Smith & Judi Dench/ TV Big Breakfast playing for Ant & Dec/ TV-Video "Memories of Home" Rose Marie with invited celebrity audience/ various radio incl. BBC radio 4/ various festivals incl: Sidmouth, Gosport, Return To Camden Town & Broadstairs/ Venues include: Hackney Empire, Albany Empire, Old Trafford, Birmingham Town Hall, The FRidge Brixton, The Swan Stockwell, The Hibernian Birmingham, The Conway Hall London, Half Moon Putney, The Ceilidh House Ullapool, The Weavers Stoke Newington, Carnglaze Caver Cornwall and umpteen others from from Scotland to Cornwall plus Galway, Ennis, Dublin, Cork and various other parts Ireland along with France, Belgium, Holland & Spain etc. Also played regularly in bands including members of The Pouges/Popes, 4 Men & a Dog, Alias Ron Kavana and Sin E.

TESTIMONIALS:

"I just wanted the opportunity to say thank you to the band, they were fabulous!
I always dreamed of my wedding day with a wonderful 5-piece irish band, and they truly made my dreams come true!
The band were very helpful, listened to everything I asked for and did what was asked of them and more.
Many of my guests had heard Irish music before and not liked it, but ... have changed their views
and said how wonderfully entertaining, lively and fun the music that the band played was.
They also played some beautiful songs that are very sentimental to myself and family, which was just lovely.
...You made my wedding day perfect!" - Melissa

"Just to let you know I have had an overwhelmingly positive feedback from last Friday night! So many people have said what a wonderful evening they had - it was so fantastic to have an event like that in the heart of our community and we just loved the music and the dancing. Thank you all so much!" - Mrs. H. S. Wincheap School PTA, Canterbury, Kent UK

"...proved a great hit at our wedding. Within no time at all they had our guests, whether young or old, up dancing and generally making fools of themselves which everyone thought was hilarious.
The trio were a pleasant group of individuals who, between dances, showed their abilities on a wide range of instruments.
So impressed were some of our guests that they were keen to get the group's details so that they could hire them as well.
They helped round off the day's proceedings on a high note, sending people away happy.
We were so pleased that we opted for a ceilidh band instead of the usual disco - it brought the evening to life!" Mr H of Kent

Bowstring - The Ceilidh & Barn Dance Band with that Little Bit Extra!

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