The Band
We are a 5-piece band, most of whom live in Bradford, in the UK (as opposed to Bradford, Pennsylvania). The first of our music to get an official release was the Vast Atlantic EP in 2009. The album, Molehills out of Mountains, was released in December 2011.
Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson have played our music on Radio 2 and 6Music, and we have performed several live sessions for BBC Radio Leeds. In 2011 four of our songs featured in Waterloo Road on BBC Television.
Live, we have supported The Duke & The King, Jeffrey Lewis, The Wave Pictures, Neil McSweeney and The Miserable Rich.
That’s a potted history, now a bit about each of us:
SAM KIPLING: Vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, keys, accordion
I’m Sam. I write songs about the world I live in – troubled yet hopeful; sad yet filled with love and loving. I’m inspired by the natural world and fascinated by our interactions with it. Whilst we strive to understand every complexity of the universe, I long for the simplicity of there being fewer of us. I’m currently exploring the world of barefoot running after being totally enthralled by the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. My favorite book is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts which is profoundly, life-changingly beautiful. I’m also currently entertaining myself on my commute with the ‘Stuff You Should Know’ and ‘TED Talks’ podcasts.
You can find me on Tumblr samkipling.tumblr.com
SAM LAWRENCE: Guitars, mandolin, bouzouki, keys, vocals, uilleann pipes, Hunter whistle, accordion.
I am also Sam. I play a lot of music on lots of different instruments, and I’ve been playing guitar for 31 years. I am also a jack of all building trades, own a narrowboat called Kingfisher, make uilleann pipes for a living and live with a scruffy dog called Ness.
RUTH VIQUEIRA: Drums, cajon, percussion, glockenspiel, vocals
Hi I’m Ruth, I sit at the back of the band and hit things. Aside from drumming I also enjoy drawing things, making things and being generally arty. I especially like drawing and printing pictures of animals and find myself being particularly attracted to whales, beavers, musk oxen, rabbits and bears (not sexually, just artistically). I occasionally enjoy indulging in Freddie Mercury themed evenings and following in my mother and father’s footsteps hope one day to meet Jimmy Cranky.
ALBERT FREEMAN: Bass, vocals, guitar, megaphone, flute
I am Albert, and as well as making musical contributions to Wilful Missing, I’m the band’s web geek. I also make music on my own, as Our Albert, and I’m a keen photographer. I present Eclectic Mainline on BCB Radio, essentially playing new music that takes my fancy, in the hope that my listeners might enjoy some of it too. I am constantly astounded by how much wonderful music is being made, year after year.
You can also find me on Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest.
RHYS KELLY: Keyboards, clarinet, accordion