BOF

 

 

 

Popular four piece East Anglian band who play French & Breton music mainly for dancing. They have played at most of the French dance club venues in England and also at the Poix and Picardy festivals in France. Bof! are Paddy Butcher (hurdy-gurdy & melodeons), Simon Haines (melodeon), Phil Lyons (base, acoustic guitars and vocals), Val Woollard (Bagpipes, recorders and moeck).

 

Bof! are a four piece group made up of members of RSVP and The Hosepipe Band. They play French and Breton dance music but draw their influence from a wide cross section of Celtic nations. To date Bof! have released just one album which is available in CD format from their website or at live gigs, but now also as an exclusive digital download at this site. The album carries the title of Reve a Verteillac (roughly translated as “Dream at Verteillac”) and a quick Google search will bring you a lot of info on this beautiful village and region to the west of Bordeaux. I must admit to being no expert in traditional French music, but this album forms the perfect soundtrack to the memories of a holiday I once had, travelling south from Finistere into the heart of the Dordogne.

 

The music is largely instrumental with hurdy gurdy, melodeon and bagpipes being the lead instruments of choice. These are supported by guitars, recorders and grelots (bells) plus the voice of Phil Lyons. You will find an assortment of waltzes, mazurkas and bourrees here alongside a couple of traditional and a self penned piece that tops and tails the album.