Rory Clements is one of Northern Ireland's finest keyboard talents. Equally at home with smoking blues runs or mellow Hammond, Rory was founder member of acclaimed Graffiti Limbo, and has been the powerhouse behind Limavady Jazz and Blues Festival, one of the fastest growing blues festivals on the island. Rory is in demand as a session player and accompanist and runs his own business in Limavady. His touch for the Heart of Gold sound has been the icing on the cake - simmering electric piano and chilled out organ have added huge depth and richness to the sound.
Paul started playing on his father's drum kit at 11 years of age, and went on to play in school bands and teenage rock bands until he landed a job with top showband The Untouchables at 19 years of age. He went on to tour full time in Ireland and the UK with the band before leaving to pick up a career outside of music and limited himself to 'fill in' gigs around NI, mostly in the Belfast & Lisburn areas. In 1999, Paul performed a charity gig in Portstewart as "Trouble at the Henhouse," fronted by John Doherty (former XDreamysts guitarist) and Anthony Toner, who would later be members of Big Ankles. Paul stayed with the group during the retirement and revival that created Yap Yap Yap, and whilst living in the Triangle area he has also taken occasional gigs with New Moon, Michael E Thomas and Henry McCullough, among others.
Cosmic Clive Culbertson has worked with everyone from The Chieftains to Jive Bunny in a career that spans over 30 years as one of Ireland's finest talents as a songwriter, bassist and record producer. Playing in a succession of home town showbands, Clive shot to fame in the late 70s as frontman for No Sweat, who became The Sweat. The band were one of the finest of the powerpop groups to come out of Ireland during that fertile time, and Sweat singles like Busy Signal, Why Did You Have to Lie and No More Running are still changing hands for scary sums among collectors on eBay. When the band split, Clive pursued a solo career path that saw him working with Scottish artists like The River Detectives, among others. He also appeared regularly on the BBC as session bass player on a variety of TV shows and recordings. He set up No Sweat Recording Studio, which remains one of the finest facilities of its type on the island, and has been home to a series of recordings by some of the legends of the Irish country music scene. Clive has always had an interest in mystical religions - a quest that led to a friendship with Van Morrison in the late 80s. This turned into a professional relationship in the 90s when Van asked him to join his band. This led to the recording of the hugely successful Avalon Sunset album, including Have I Told You Lately, which features Clive on bass. That period also saw Clive working with Van and The Chieftains on the Irish Heartbeat album. Further accounts of Clive's time with the Van Morrison band can be found in the riveting biography Can You Feel The Silence, written by Clinton Heylin and featuring some highly entertaining quotes from Clive. He and his brother Adrian formed the country rock band New Moon in the late 90s - a crack band of country players with a modern feel who recorded an acclaimed debut album Emerald Country Shack, which attracted huge airplay and interest from country fans across the globe. New Moon continues to gig and record throughout Ireland and beyond. Clive guested on a number of occasions with the swing/blues/rock quintet Big Ankles, and became a permanent member when the band decided to revive the format for Yap Yap Yap. Clive continues to write, produce and record at No Sweat for a variety of artists and pursues his interest in all things mystical and magical.
One of the north coast's most gifted guitarists, Adrian Culbertson has been gigging since his early teens in a variety of bands, from the melodic country rock of such legendary local bands as Southbound Train and Time Delay through to the acclaimed Fantasy and the groundbreaking Suite Pepper, both of which also featured his brother, bassist and singer Clive. Along the way, Adrian has also contributed to some interesting stage and recording projects, including some session work for a variety of artists, and work as one of the stage band for a couple of Upstage Downstage productions - starring James Nesbitt! Adrian and bass player Don McAleese also broke new ground in the early 90s as duo Don and Adrian, who were one of the most well-regarded acts in the Causeway Coast area. Some years ago, Adrian and his brother Clive re-united to form the country rock band New Moon. The band played a succession of tours throughout Ireland and the UK and attracted rave reviews for their debut album Emerald Country Shack, the title track of which was written by Adrian. The band showcases Adrian's excellent country guitar style and sweet harmonies. Adrian also runs his own successful business in Coleraine - AC Electronics and Music, specialising in computer design and construction, sound system installation.
