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..


NEW:


"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 next year 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

  • 9 dates in Denmark, 25th Jan to 3rd Feb 2024 

and

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

_____________________________________________________________________






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.

______________________________________________________________________


And by popular demand
we have a new T-SHIRT based on the  READ THE SKY CD cover  -  our first for a while. Available, of course, from our online shop as well as at shows.


200 gsm quality cotton, with a beautifully printed (and expensive!) 10-screen process to preserve the subtlety of the image.

Currently availabe in sizes M and XL only

S  -  chest 34-36" / 86-91cm

M -  38-40" / 96-101cm

L  -  42-44" / 106-111cm

XL - 46-48" / 116-122cm

XXL -  50-52" / 127-132cm








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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
 




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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

Jan 25  Portalen  Greve (for Copenhagen)
  [DK]

Jan 26  Sidesporet  Holbæk  [DK]

Jan 27  Grønnegades Kaserne  Næstved
  [DK]

Jan 28  Generator  Ringkøbing  [DK] 
  -  afternoon show

Jan 30  Turbinen  Randers  [DK]

Jan 31  Kulturhus (Schweizerhalle)  Tønder
  [DK]

Feb 01  Skraaen  Aalborg  [DK]

Feb 02  Halkær Kro  Halkær  [DK]

Feb 03  Industrien  Aarup  [DK]


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

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]
Apr 21  Victoria Hall  Settle  [UK]

May 04  The David Hall  South Petherton  [UK]
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]

























   ALAN PROSSER solo dates


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