'Vocal heaven with thoughtful lyrics, exquisite harmonies and compelling leads' Maverick Magazine
'absolutely gorgeous the guitar playing and the harmonies are just so beautiful'
-JANICE LONG BBC Radio 2
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"Boys from the Abattoir"
WAKING THE WITCH
HIGHLY ACCLAIMED CD ‘BOYS FROM THE ABATTOIR’ NOW AVAILABLE
‘My background is in indie music, so between us we’ve created a new kind of sound. I suppose you could call it indie acoustic’ Dave Creffield, Producer, Dec 2006
‘It was like this - I had switched on Mike Harding's Radio 2 programme and set the tape machine on to record. When “Jenny Thornton & the Boys from the Abattoir†came on I was relieved that I had. It knocked me flat. It was the best thing on the show and I was able to play and replay the track. I played and replayed the track for days afterwards ’ –
Ashley Hutchings (founder member, Fairport Convention, Albion Band, Steeleye Span)
Conceived in 2003, for this Leeds-based foursome, namely PATSY MATHESON, JOOLS PARKER, BECKY MILLS and RACHEL GOODWIN, soon made their mark on the northern acoustic scene, where their ability to captivate audiences rapidly gained them a devoted following. News of the strength of their live performance spread rapidly, and soon they were appearing at countless venues throughout the UK.
The release of their breath taking debut CD ‘Like Everybody’ (PARAMIJO-01) in October 2003, followed by the second CD ‘Hands & Bridges (WITCH 01) in 2005, produced waves of excitement throughout the UK circuit. Soon they had completed a national tour as guests of the recently formed supergroup, Casbah Club (featuring BRUCE FOXTON of THE JAM and members of the Scottish rock group, BIG COUNTRY) and made appearances at many UK festivals, including Trowbridge, Nantwich and Cambridge. Their appearance at Glastonbury Festival was so impressive that it resulted in them being invited to perform at the after show party, accompanying GLENN TILBROOK of SQUEEZE. Subsequent appearances at many more major UK festivals, combined with a gruelling non stop touring schedule, meant that their reputation for delivering a superb live show continued to grow stronger and stronger
Their ground breaking third album ‘Boys from the Abattoir’ in 2007 (WITCH-02) signified a huge move forward for the band. It was produced by Dave Creffield (Kaiser Chiefs/Embrace) who had heard about WAKING THE WITCH following their performance at the Leeds Independent Music Awards, when members of the Kaisers and Embrace were in the audience. This album took the band to new level of national recognition, receiving rave reviews and extensive local and national airplay. It was also selected by the Mercury Awards team as a contender for the 2007 prize. To celebrate the success of the ‘Boys from the Abattoir’ tour, a live DVD of their performance at the legendary City Varieties Theatre in Leeds was released in September 2007.
Says Becky: ‘For a band of women who squabble over makeup, worry about our bums and covet each others boots, we don’t half get around the country…We do it using a strange magnetic force we were born with. It’s not unlike the salmon with their uncanny homing device, only ours doesn’t take us back up the river we were spawned in, ours takes us to the nearest TK Max and then straight to the venue we are booked in…’
For the latest gig news and music samples, please visit www.wakingthewitch.co.uk or http://www.myspace.com/rachpatsjoolsbex
