Gallys Folly

Gally's Folly... <[b>Mickey Ripley. vocals, guitar, bouzouki, harmonica.] <[b>Mandy Gallagher. vocals, flute, whistles, concertina.]
...are an acoustic-based duo writing, recording and performing their own original material, which has enabled them to establish a wide repertoire of deep rooted songs inspired by everything from Mickey's memories of his native North East, stories from the first world war, spiritual snapshots of the wild Cornish landscape and its ancient standing stones, to tales invoking characters and scenes from the drinking haunts of London's old Soho. (Oh, and let's not forget the continuing fascination and concern for all matters metaphysical!) Their music is imbued with a knowledge of traditional folk, but live, they perform with an energy and passion that tips a hat to rock'n'roll.
Incidentally, for any rockers interested in Mickey's past exploits, here's a quick profile;
He cut his musical teeth as frontman/vocalist with tearaway boogie boys the Red Dogs and recorded and toured with them to outstanding reviews and packed houses throughout the early nineties. They released the Sweet Little Ruby ep before going on to record the Wrong Side Of Town album with former Jethro Tull drummer Barriemore Barlow on production duties. This was followed by the Working Late cd, the ten tracks for which were recorded at legendary bassist John Entwistle's own home Hammerhead Studio with The Who's long-serving soundguy Bob Pridden engineering.
After the Red Dogs split (with their guitarist Paul Guerin later going on to join former touring buddies the Quireboys) Mickey formed the folk/rock outfit Josh, touring extensively and producing the Head in the Clouds ep before swallowing the acoustic/folk bug completely and teaming up with Mandy to hit the long, winding road (and many's the untrodden path too!) as Gally's Folly. However, that journey has really only just begun, and the story is still to be written...!
To bring our tale a little further up to date though; Gally's Folly relocated to Cornwall's beautiful far west through 2001-03. Basing themselves in St.Ives they also hosted the weekly Songwriter's Night which at the time was held at The Lifeboat Inn on the wharf by the harbour. Here they forged lasting friendships with many of the local musicians, writers and artists who continue to perform and work in the area.
After moving back to London, Mickey and Mandy enjoyed a successful return to St.Ives as "host band" for the September Festival 2005, on a bill which included Show Of Hands, Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies, Patrick Street, Flook, Last Night's Fun, and 3 Daft Monkeys.
Now splitting much of their time between Cornwall and London they continue to follow wherever the piper (or is that Mandy's flageolet!?) leads them - wandering minstrels, indeed! The duo have also produced a wealth of strong, original material, self-recorded and manufactured (in true cottage industry style) in a relatively short period of time. Cds currently available include Silk In The Steel, Spells & Cures, Monument, Mary & The Vicar, Route To Roots, and Nine. All worth a listen! Recently they have also collaborated with their great friends Steve and Linda Jones (myspace.com/wrecklessdream) to produce a cd together under the collective monicker Nine Stone Rig.
With new material constantly being created (or plucked from the ether, depending on your opinion) please continue to check the track playlist on this site for new songs. You will also be able to hear additional Gally's Folly tracks on the Hobgoblin Music Crawley page (see our top-friend) Here's to all the troubadours and fellow "travellers in rhyme" - you know who you are - see ya out there!
Gally's Folly are available for gig/festival bookings (for which they occasionally supplement the line-up with additional musicians)