Fiddler's Dram were a British folk band of the late 1970s. They are mainly known for their hit single, "Day Trip to Bangor (Didn't We Have a Lovely Time)" (1979), although the sound of this record was not representative of the acoustic songs and tunes they had been performing for several years at folk clubs and festivals.

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  • Fiddler's Dram were a British folk band of the late 1970s. They are mainly known for their hit single, "Day Trip to Bangor (Didn't We Have a Lovely Time)" (1979), although the sound of this record was not representative of the acoustic songs and tunes they had been performing for several years at folk clubs and festivals. The full-time members of Fiddler's Dram were drawn from the Oyster group and were mainly: Cathy Lesurf - vocals, bodhran Alan Prosser - guitar, fiddle, bowed psaltery, bones Chris Taylor - bouzouki, harmonica, appalachian dulcimer, mandola, tenor banjo Ian Telfer - fiddle, bowed psaltery, viola Will Ward - Bassoon, Crumhorn Dave Arbus, violinist with East of Eden, was a founder member but left before the band achieved success. The full-time members of the band were drawn from a group of musicians at the University of Kent at Canterbury and members of Duke's Folk Club in Whitstable. Jamming sessions in a Canterbury squat often took place with additional club members given the opportunity to take part in these sessions and sometimes at local performances. The band had an enthusiastic local following and played regularly at local clubs and bars in and around the Canterbury area, with the open nature of the bands ever changing part-time line-up contributing to the bands popularity. With other various club members, including John Jones and Ian Kearey, the full-time members of the band formed the Oyster Ceilidh Band c.1976, with Cathy Lesurf singing and later assuming the role of caller at dances. Ward had joined the Oyster Ceilidh Band by 1978, and became the fifth member of Fiddler's Dram on their eponymous second LP, recorded hurriedly to follow up on their unexpected success in the UK Singles Chart. The band were unable to achieve subsequent success however - in the words of Ian Telfer, "Day Trip To Bangor" was "the kind of success you don't easily recover from. Fiddler's Dram did one more tour then gratefully took the money (and the gold discs) and ran". "Day Trip To Bangor" was actually inspired after a day trip to Rhyl (a seaside resort 35 miles east of Bangor, North Wales), but because Bangor had an extra syllable and slipped off the tongue easier it was used ahead of Rhyl. This caused an outcry from councillors and businesses in Rhyl who complained that the publicity would have boosted the resort's tourist economy. The single reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1980, having been released the previous year. The Oyster Ceilidh Band continued as both a dance and concert band however, changing their name c.1982 to The Oyster Band and later to the Oysterband. Cathy Lesurf subsequently left the Oysters for a spell with the Albion Band.
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  • Fiddler's Dram were a British folk band of the late 1970s. They are mainly known for their hit single, "Day Trip to Bangor (Didn't We Have a Lovely Time)" (1979), although the sound of this record was not representative of the acoustic songs and tunes they had been performing for several years at folk clubs and festivals.
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  • Fiddler's Dram
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