Spiers and Boden are an English

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

duo. John Spiers plays melodeon and

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

, while Jon Boden sings and plays

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

while stamping the rhythm on a stomp box. Spiers and Boden were founding members of the folk band

Bellowhead Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical sty ...

Biography

They began playing together in 1999 and their first album as a duo was ''Through & Through'' (2001). In 2002 they were both

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s on

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Life and career Carthy was born i ...

's album ''Anglicana'', and toured with her as part of her band The Ratcatchers. However it was their second album, ''Bellow'', in 2003 that drew significant attention. The tunes and songs were mostly traditional, grounded in the Morris tradition. In the same year they won the "Horizon Award" in the

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

, followed by the "Best Duo" category in 2004. Together they play fiddle, guitar, assorted squeezebox instruments, a stomp box and both sing. An album called simply '' Tunes'' came out in summer 2005 and another, ''

Songs A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usuall ...

'', followed in October of the same year. Their fifth album, '' Vagabond'', was released in 2008. '' The Works'' was released on 11 July 2011. It's an album of re-recorded tracks from their 5 albums made as a duo. The album features a number of special guests, including: Fay Hield, James Fagan, Nancy Kerr,

Maddy Prior Madeleine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the p ...

Martin Carthy Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...

Martin Simpson Martin Stewart Simpson (born 5 May 1953) is an English folk singer, guitarist and songwriter. His music reflects a wide variety of influences and styles, rooted in Britain, Ireland, America and beyond. He builds a purposeful, often upbeat voi ...

and

. In October 2013, they announced that their 2014 tour would be their last "for the foreseeable future". In August 2020, Spiers and Boden announced that they would be playing together as a duo again. They performed for the online Folk On Foot festival.

Discography

Spiers and Boden

*''Through & Through'' (2001) *''Bellow'' (2003) *'' Tunes'' (2005) *''

'' (2005) *'' Vagabond'' (2008) *'' The Works'' (2011) *'' Fallow Ground'' (2021)

Bellowhead

*''

E.P.Onymous ''E.P.Onymous'' is the debut EP by Bellowhead. Track listing Personnel * Jon Boden – vocals, fiddle, bagpipes * John Spiers – melodeon, vocals *Benji Kirkpatrick – mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, banjo *Andy Mellon ...

'' (2004) *''

Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

'' (2006) *'' Matachin'' (2008) *''

Hedonism Hedonism is a family of Philosophy, philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is Motivation, motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of Psycholo ...

'' (2010) *'' Broadside'' (2012) *'' Revival'' (2014)

Eliza Carthy and The Ratcatchers

*''Anglicana'' (2002) *''Rough Music'' (2005)

Ian Giles, John Spiers, Jon Boden and Graham Metcalfe

*''

Sea Shanties A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term ''shanty'' most accurately refers to a sp ...

'' (2002)

Jon Boden, Joey Oliver, John Spiers and Ian Giles

*''Old Irish Jigs and Reels'' (2007)

Ian Giles, John Spiers, Jon Boden and Giles Lewin

*''Wassail - A Country Christmas'' (also released as ''An English Folk Christmas'' (2003)

References

External links

Spiers and Boden websiteFellside Recordings
{{Authority control English folk musical groups English buskers