Fiddler's Dram

The full-time members of Fiddler's Dram, drawn from the Oyster Ceilidh Band, were:

• Cathy Lesurf – Lead Vocals, Bodhrán
• Alan Prosser (born 17 April 1951) – Backing Vocals, Guitar, Violin, Bowed psaltery, Bones
• Chris Taylor – Backing Vocals, Tenor Banjo, Bouzouki, Harmonica, Appalachian Dulcimer, Mandola
• Ian Telfer (born 28 May 1948) – Violin, Bowed psaltery, Viola, English Concertina
• Will Ward – Bassoon, Recorder, Crumhorn

Dave Arbus, violinist with East of Eden, was a founding member but left long before the band achieved success.{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/Diner/2674/arbus_dave_a.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027104139/http://geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Diner/2674/arbus_dave_a.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-10-27|title=Dave Arbus info|website=The Musicians' Olympus|accessdate=2020-06-25}}

The full-time members of the band were drawn from a group of musicians at the University of Kent at Canterbury and members of Duke's Folk Club in Whitstable. Jam sessions in a Canterbury squat often took place, with additional club members given the opportunity to take part and sometimes at local performances. The band had an enthusiastic local following and played regularly at local clubs and bars in and around the Canterbury area, with the open nature of the band's ever-changing part-time line-up contributing to its popularity. With other club members, including John Jones and Ian Kearey, the full-time members of the band formed the Oyster Ceilidh Band in about 1976, with Cathy Lesurf singing, and later assuming the role of caller at dances.

The first Fiddler's Dram album, To See the Play, was released on the Dingle's label in 1978.{{cite web|url=http://www.musikfolk.co.uk/aliveandshouting/lp-fiddlers-toseetheplay.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517224940/http://www.musikfolk.co.uk/aliveandshouting/lp-fiddlers-toseetheplay.htm|url-status=dead|title=musikfolk.co.uk|archivedate=17 May 2009|website=Musikfolk.co.uk}} It featured acoustic arrangements of mainly British traditional songs and tunes, but also included live favourite "Day Trip to Bangor", written by Whitstable Folk Club regular Debbie Cook. David Foister of Dingle's suggested that the track be released as a single. It was re-recorded at a faster tempo than on the original LP, and with the acoustic instruments augmented by other instruments including bass guitar, synthesiser and drums.{{cite web|url=http://www.musikfolk.co.uk/aliveandshouting/single-vinyl-fiddlers-daytriptobangor-flashlad.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013014509/http://www.musikfolk.co.uk/aliveandshouting/single-vinyl-fiddlers-daytriptobangor-flashlad.htm|url-status=dead|title=musikfolk.co.uk|archivedate=13 October 2010|website=Musikfolk.co.uk|accessdate=2020-06-25}}

It has been claimed that "Day Trip to Bangor" was actually inspired by a day trip to Rhyl, a seaside resort 35 miles east of Bangor, North Wales, but Bangor had an extra syllable and slipped off the tongue more easily, so it was used instead of Rhyl. It allegedly caused an outcry from councillors and businesses in Rhyl, who complained that the publicity would have boosted the resort's tourist economy.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/singing-stars-fond-memories-bangor-2689518|title=Singing star's fond memories of Bangor|date=24 August 2011|work=North Wales Live|accessdate=18 January 2024}} Songwriter Cook has unconditionally denied this, however.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b0151rkt|title=BBC 4 Lyrical Journey episode 2|website=BBC|accessdate=2020-06-25}} Interviewed for the BBC Radio 4 documentary, broadcast on 29 September 2011, Cook said the song was "absolutely yes" about the Bangor in Wales. She said: "I was so ignorant at the time that I didn't know that any other Bangor existed, so it was categorically this Bangor, and it was Bangor because it scanned and for no other reason than that. And it was the only place I knew along the north Wales coast." In the documentary, when interviewer Jonathan Maitland reminded Cook that there was a furore about the song really being about Rhyl, Cook laughed and called it "a great piece of nonsense".

The single reached a peak of number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1980, having been released the previous month.{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=199}}

A version of the song, with altered lyrics, was used the following year in a TV commercial for Anchor butter. The band received no royalties for this, and the story was featured on the BBC TV series That's Life!.

Songwriter Cook subsequently went on to write scripts for The Archers and EastEnders.{{cite news|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/page/0,,1074166,00.html|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|title=One-hit wonders|accessdate=2 May 2010}}

Will Ward had joined the Oyster Ceilidh Band by 1978, and became the fifth member of Fiddler's Dram on their eponymous second LP, recorded hurriedly to follow up on their unexpected success in the UK Singles Chart. The band were unable to achieve subsequent success, however. In the words of Ian Telfer, "Day Trip to Bangor" was "the kind of success you don't easily recover from. Fiddler's Dram did one more tour then gratefully took the money (and the gold discs) and ran".{{cite web|url=http://www.oysterband.co.uk/biog/|title=Oysterband Biography|website=Oysterband.co.uk|accessdate=2020-06-25}}

The Oyster Ceilidh Band continued as both a dance and concert band, however, changing their name to The Oyster Band in around 1982 and, later, to just Oysterband. Cathy Lesurf subsequently left the Oysters for a spell with the Albion Band.

On 10 April 2006, banjoist Chris Taylor appeared in the line-up on Never Mind the Buzzcocks (episode 5 series 18).

In 2009, Lesurf released a Christmas single called "Christmas Time". She said she hoped it would be a hit so it would be a "companion" for "Day Trip to Bangor".{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8350000/8350500.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=Cathy's X-Factor Xmas challenge|date=11 November 2009|accessdate=2 May 2010}}

• To See the Play (Dingle's Records, 1978)
• Fiddler's Dram (Dingle's Records, 1980) - AUS #80{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=111}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Discogs artist}}
• [http://www.epmusic.biz Fiddler's Dram licensing]
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8350000/8350500.stm Cathy's X-Factor Xmas challenge]

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Category:People associated with the University of Kent

Category:Musical groups established in 1978

Category:British folk music groups