The Fiddler's Bitches are indebted to Culann's Hounds for the temporary use of their soundfile. In particular, the Fiddler's Bitches salute Renee De La Prade and will gladly buy the next round in her honor.
We edited our profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4, you grumpy hoor.
The band came together in response to the only thing that all true musicians react to: a paying gig.
It was back in 2005, when the British and Irish Lions rugby team came to New Zealand on a tour, during which they would play the All Blacks three times and a series of games against provincial opposition.
This was a huge event, so everyone was gearing up for a huge tour, especially as the Lions were likely to bring thousands of supporters with them.
While the rest of the country was looking forward to the rugby, one man had his eye on another prize entirely: the lucrative financial opportunities afforded by the tour and how he could get his grubby mitts on it.
As it happened, Donnacha had been at the opening of a flash hotel some months before the tour was due to start, in his capacity as a local journalist. He got talking with the function manager and happened to mention that he played in a band. The band in question was a figment of his imagination.
Anyway, some weeks later as the tour loomed and Manawatu was gearing up for the influx of thirsty Lions fans, Donnacha got a phone call from the functions manager.
Youve got a band. How much would you charge to play here the night of the big game?
Donnacha thought about this for a moment and then named a frankly ludicrous figure that no one would pay. The price was agreed and arrangements made to entertain the fans.
However, there was a problem: Donnacha didnt really have a band. So he went down to his local, talked to a few people he had discussed playing with before and within an hour the band had formed.
He was lucky, in that he managed to surround himself with actual musicians, which made him sound good and the band sound professional. (He has been thanking his lucky stars ever since.)
The name was agreed upon eventually after a nights drinking and practice was called on a regular basis.
To cut a long story short, three weeks later the band played its first gig the afternoon of the game, as a warm-up for the big gig that night. Despite one of the singers losing his voice, the gig went ahead and the Bitches never looked back.
And the best part of all? They got paid.
Since then the band has managed to con people into booking them all around New Zealand and even branched out into Ireland, taking the music back home for a wedding gig in June '06. Bitten by the travel bug, the band is currently begging, borrowing and stealing to get to Europe next year, where they ahve been booked to play at Bruichladdich Distillery on historic, whisky-drenched Islay, for the island's annual whisky festival. If anyone has ever secured a sweeter gig, FB would like to hear about it.
