THE HUMPFF FAMILY
Back in the 90s the Humpff Family took the music establishment by storm, leading the Scottish folk-a-billy revolution. The band's first gig was in Chimmi Chungas, Glasgow, on 23rd April 1987; they were the resident band on the Funny Farm show on STV in 1990-91 and got a record deal on the 24th April 1992 when the band was five years and one day old. Just one year later their first album was number 50 in the US Top 100.
After an exhausting decade spent sporting cowboy hats, waltzing, rattling and falling apart, contemplating cans of beans on magic journeys of imperfect futures and even teaching Jeasus how to swim, the Humpff Family's last gig took place in the Hotel Adler Au Austria on June 9th 1998. By then the band had played, among other events, T in the Park, Celtic Connections, L'Orion, the Tondor Festival and toured extensively Europe and the Middle East.
The variously defined Cajun Celtic, happy-go-lucky thrash-punk, Scottish bluegrass of the Humpff's two albums is still going strong, yet to stop receiving five stars reviews from many affectionate fans and lunatics around the world, more than two decades after release.
Tightly wrapped around the original, entertaining and masterful lyrics by John Coletta and David Fitzpatrick and held together by their wonderful frontman John Coletta (vocals, mandolin, resonator slide, harmonica), the Humpff Family is back. With Tom Roche at the button accordion replacing the fiddle of the nineties, Pete Rabjohns on the drums, Kenny Gair on the bass and Dave Orr on the guitar they are still full of the same genius, exuberance and fun of yesteryear – if possibly more restrained and subdued in their attire.
Dance-able, sing-able, musically robust and entertaining, the band that deserved to be huge is older, wiser and better than ever. Counting on the uncommon quality that only talent, determination and musical mileage brings about, and having played the Thornhill Festival and Belladrum as well as a number of other venues in their first few months, the Humpff Family is all set to conquer their own turf Scotland – as well as pastures new, were there to be any greener - and do it all over again.