fRoots poll
and Mojo 2011 Folk Album Of The Year  for Ragged Kingdom with June Tabor.
And over the years, 5 times BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winners, hey!
bbcradio2logo

      
                              

collage with Sean
       collage by Volker Neumann




Welcome to Oysterband's official website....

....where we have news to impart:  we're going to retire as a touring act. But we're going to take some time about it!  To quote ourselves it's



A LONG LONG GOODBYE




We've set up a page at 
alonglonggoodbye.live


where you'll find links to tickets for all shows from September onwards, plus news and further dates.

And here's an instalment:

We're genuinely excited to announce a final tour together with the great June Tabor.  We'll be performing a career-spanning set, including several of our most favourite songs with June, in 8 brilliant venues.

Tickets went on sale on Friday 16th February at 10am at

 

We mean to enjoy every last minute!




_____________________________________________________________________


"DECADES"

As you may have noticed, we've written rather a lot of songs.  Too many, really, to do justice to in the course of an evening. 

We'd love to share our 45-year musical journey with you....so we've decided to try doing it over 2 nights in some suitable venues (see opposite→).  We promise not to repeat ourselves from one night to the next!

2024 looks like it's going to be in need of a party - come along and let's see what we can find to celebrate.


First night: 
The 80s and 90s
From Step Outside to Holy Bandits and beyond
  -  e.g. Oxford Girl / Hal-an-Tow / Too Late Now / When I'm Up / Granite Years

Second night:
Into a new millennium
E.g. Rise Above / Here Comes The Flood / Dancing As Fast As I Can / A River Runs / Corner of the Room

....etc etc etc
....



Meanwhile, we have

  • a very welcome (to us, anyway!) return to Costa Festival in Ibiza 25th April to 1st May  



  • returns to the New Forest Folk Festival and Warwick Folk Festival in July


  • our tenth appearance at Cambridge Folk Festival

  • and the 60th Anniversary of the wonderful Towersey Festival at its new home in Buckinghamshire   ↓



_____________________________________________________________________






Our latest album READ THE SKY is available (as CD or Download) from the usual places. 

CDs can also be bought  direct from the band at concerts and via this website that you're reading, http://www.oysterband.co.uk/shipchoice.asp


DOWNLOADS are available from iTunes, Amazon etc.

It was a strange job recording this one!  But it seems to have been very well received. We hope you enjoy the fruit of our labours.

______________________________________________________________________





______________________________________________________________________




Best of the
                          Best med
Every year from 1986, fRoots magazine asked a large international panel of experts – over 300 in recent times – to nominate the Album Of The Year.

After they announced the results of the 30th annual fRoots Critics Poll for Albums Of The Year in December, the magazine invited the public to vote online for their one favourite album out of all the winners and runners up in every year’s Critics Poll since it began in 1986, 120 albums in all.

And after a massive entry for the Best Of The Best, the placings were:

1. BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit) 1997

2. PAUL SIMON Graceland (Warners) 1986

3. BELLOWHEAD Hedonism (Navigator) 2010

4. JUNE TABOR & OYSTERBAND Ragged Kingdom (Topic) 2011

5. OYSTERBAND Holy Bandits (Cooking Vinyl) 1993

6. EMILY PORTMAN Hatchling (Furrow) 2012

7. ELIZA CARTHY Anglicana (Topic) 2002

8. THE HOME SERVICE Alright Jack (Making Waves) 1986

9. AURELIO Landini (Real World) 2014

10. JIM MORAY Low Culture (NIAG) 2008

Massive thanks to everyone who voted for us… only one act with two entries in the top ten!




************************************************************************************************

New in the online shop  -  the return of the Oysterband Badge.  We found one on an ancient leather jacket (sigh...) and remembered we used to really like them many years ago.  Finally we've had some manufactured again, in hand-enamelled nickel  -  they look slightly different now, but the quality is better.  And the little running man is still running.

_____________________________________________________________________


We're very pleased to say the LYRICS section of this website is now up and running at last.  Our thanks to Giolla Decair and Caz White, who did most of the work.  At 150+ songs it was no small task.  Now we can resolve those dressing-room arguments about "How did that one go??".....though possibly not the ones about which key it was in.

_____________________________________________________________________






     (A version of) Oysterband in 2015 at Bow Lake AB, Canada. Happy days...   Photo: Ben Malone
 




MAIL ORDER POLICY

If goods you receive from us are damaged or unsatisfactory, we will replace, refund or exchange them (at your choice) up to the same listed price. This does not affect your statutory rights.



                           SHOP
                  

READ THE SKY

THE LATEST OYSTERBAND STUDIO ALBUM




"...they tackle their task with rare urgency and valour, John Jones' voice still magnificent, and the tough arrangements and musical barrage around him delivered with blistering gusto."
                            -  Mojo ****

"A soundtrack for our times."

                            -  Folk London


And here's a track from it  -





_________________________________________



UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

 



OYSTERBAND:


2024


DECADES
Feb 13 
Ropetackle Arts Centre  Shoreham-by-
 
Sea  [UK]  SOLD OUT
Feb 14  Ropetackle Arts Centre  Shoreham-by-
  Sea  [UK] 
SOLD OUT

Feb 15  Norwich Arts Centre  Norwich  [UK]
Feb 16  Norwich Arts Centre  Norwich  [UK]

Feb 28  Huntingdon Hall  Worcester  [UK]
Feb 29  Huntingdon Hall  Worcester  [UK]

Mar 01  Square Chapel AC  Halifax  [UK]
Mar 02  Square Chapel AC  Halifax  [UK]

Apr 18  Acapela Studio  Cardiff  [UK]
Apr 19  Acapela Studio  Cardiff  [UK]

Apr 20  Victoria Hall  Settle  [UK]  SOLD OUT
Apr 21  Victoria Hall  Settle  [UK] 
SOLD OUT

May 04  The David Hall  South Petherton  [UK]

  SOLD OUT
May 05  The David Hall  South Petherton  [UK]


Apr 25 to May 01  Ibiza  Costa Festival   [ES]


July 06  New Forest Folk Festival  Plaitford SO51
  6EE  [UK]

July 26  Warwick Folk Festival  Warwick  [UK]

July 28  Cambridge Folk Festival  Cambridge 
  [UK]

Aug 6 & 7  Sidmouth Folk Festival  Sidmouth
  [UK]

Aug 14  Broadstairs Folk Week  Broadstairs  [UK]

Aug 25  Towersey Festival  Claydon Estate, 
 
Middle Claydon,  Buckinghamshire     [UK]

A LONG LONG GOODBYE

OYSTERBAND with special guest JUNE TABOR

Oct 03  Town Hall  Birmingham  [UK]

Oct 04  Beacon  Bristol  [UK] 

Oct 05  De La Warr Pavilion  Bexhill. [UK]

Oct 12  RNCM  Manchester  [UK]

Oct 13  Fire Station  Sunderland  [UK]

Oct 15  De Montfort Hall  Leicester  [UK]

Oct 19  The Barbican  London  [UK]

Oct 20  Canterbury Festival  Canterbury  [UK]
  -  tickets on sale 12th August 2024



.....and more events to come
























   ALAN PROSSER solo dates


   JOHN JONES AND THE
  
RELUCTANT RAMBLERS
   See John's website at www.jj-rr.org