User:Owenski6

Blues Brothers Banned
Blues Brothers Banned are an 11 piece band from Hertfordshire inspired by the music of the Blues Brothers

History
The band was founded in the summer of 2002 while some members were students at St Clement Danes School, Chorleywood. During a very long bus trip on an orchestral tour to Italy, founder members Owen & Visser & Stephen Simmonds decided it would be a good idea to form a band to pay tribute to the music of the Blues Brothers. An impromptu meeting in a german service station that night, saw them quickly recruit friends & fellow members; Tom Clarkson, Joel Braham, Alex Coppard, Peter Byrne and Albert Stebbings.

A few months later rehearsals began in the old army Drill Hall in Chorleywood and the band played their first gig in december 2002 on an outdoor stage in Chorleywood High St, playing a short set of about 5 songs.

2003 saw them perform at many pubs in London & Hertfordshire as well as Private parties as they built up their repertoire. A highlight of the year was playing a gig at the Ace Cafe in London (A place they would go on to play at several times more).

Line Up
Owen Visser - Elwood Blues Tom Clarkson - Jake Blues Nia Visser -

Past Members
The following people were all in the band at one point or another...

George O' Malley - Guitar (Dec 2002- Jan 2003) Jess Bowller - Backing Vocals (Dec 2002 - Feb 2003) Michaela Coppard - Backing Vocals Rachael Felton - Backing Vocals Ross O'Reilly - Guitar Sarah Prodger - Backing Vocals Natalie Charalambides - Backing Vocals

Edinburgh Festival & Summer Mini Tours
In 2006, they took their show 'Banned at the Fringe' to the Edinburgh Festival. They played a run of 8 shows at C Venues where they were recieved well by the public and critics alike, being awarded a 5* star review from three weeks magazine.

2007 saw the band return to C Venues with their show 'Blues Brothers Banned- Big Night Out', this time for a 14 night run. This was another success with the band playing to enthusiastic full houses most nights. Edinburgh 2008 was preceded with a 9 day Mini West Coast Tour which saw them play at venues such as Falmouth Pavillion and the Marine theatre in Lyme Regis, flying from Newquay direct to Edinburgh for the fringe.

In Summer 2008, Blues Brothers Banned embarked on another tour of the South/South west, stopping off in towns such as Warminster, Bristol, Minehead, Exmouth, Fowey, Ilminster & more. This was followed by a 3 week run at the Edinburgh Festival with their new show 'Quest for the Cowbell' at the Pleasance Dome, which also was a big success for the band with them receiving many 5 star reviews.

As for 2009, the band are currently planning a Summer Tour to Ireland followed by a series of shows in Edinburgh.