Phil Ramsay : Trumpet / Melodica / Poetry / Ambience
Tim "Lo Lo" Lomas : Guitar / Keys/ Lead Vox
Paul "Pabs" Skelding : Drums / Percussion / Lead Vox
Luke "Black Elk" Martin : Bass / Vox
Influences
The Band likes: The Mighty Boosh, Flight Of The Conchords, The Cat Empire, The Slackers, Lobster, Beer, Steak, Pizza, Red Wine, Mushrooms, Women, Pubs, Bars in Belgium, sunsets, wood fires in fields, Jager shots and free things :)
Luke likes: Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 36 Crazyfists, Rancid, Miles Davis &; Immortal Technique
Phil likes: Pink Floyd, Syd Barret (R.I.P), Daniel Johnston, Tripped out psychedelia,
Tim likes: Manu Chao, Tom Waits, Toots and The Maytails, David Bowie &; Bob Marley.
Paul likes: The Rolling Stones, Nina Simone, Manu Chao, Tom Waits &; The Beatles
Sounds Like
Chuck Berry and Madness having a fight with Manu Chao trying to break it up and the Chilli Peppers and a load of eastern European folk musicians watching n cheering it on...... with a twist of cheap red wine.
"One of the best live acts in the UK" - Music News "Infectious and soulful" – The Guardian Guide
"The perfect musical backdrop to a Tarantino soundtrack" – Virgin Radio
"If you don't leave smiling you must be dead or deaf" ***** - Ed Evening News
"F***ing awesome!" Dominick Diamond, XFM Scotland
The new way to have a truly good time has arrived! Having already conquered Edinburgh and London with their incredible live shows and unforgettable songs, and with a line up now crystallized and polished like a diamond, Big Hand are now ready to transcend their cult underground status and to take their unique brand of Zorbic ska music to the unsuspecting, hungry masses in every corner of the world…
Big Hand have shared stages with the likes of Feeder, Reel Big Fish, The Cat Empire, The Beat, The Automatic, The Sunshine Underground, The Herbilizer, Mum-ra, Neville Staples, The Selecter, The Mad Caddies, Bad Manners, Nizlopi, Frankie Miller, The Bhundu Boys, The Slackers, The Fat Cats, The Toasters, St. Petersberg Brass Quartet, Hayseed Dixie and Joe Walsh (The Eagles), as well as playing legendary venues and festivals throughout the UK and Europe including: The Astoria (London), The Cavern Club (Liverpool), The Trojan Sound System at Notting Hill Carnival (London), The Barrowlands (Glasgow) and Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh (Nationally televised live). Having recently rocked out an all star Halloween shindig hosted by goth director Tim Burton and his crew. The band also opened the Edinburgh Fringe festival 2006 to a heaving throng of media and performers. Along the way they have captivated a crazily diverse set of audiences, ranging from 20 to 10,000, including: high society fashion dos, hippy peace camps, university students, corporate parties, old-school skanksters, as well as various indie, funk, metal, punk, rock, dub and reggae club nights, not to mention providing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with song and dance every summer. Big Hand play every gig they can feasibly do (over 120 in 2006! and it's looking like they'll hit the 200 mark in 2007!) and are always asked back.
Big Hand have already started to stamp their mark on the nations airwaves as now 5 week record breaking winners of The Unsigned Clash on Virgin Xtremes 'The Edge' show as well as coverage on XFM Scotland's Music Response and Breakfast shows. Their recent recordings have also started to seep onto underground radio picking up plays on stations such as Talksport, Totalrock, Dundalk FM, Rebel Radio and Scooterist radio. Some of the bands early work has already been used in the primetime ITV drama 'The English Hareem' starring Martine McCutcheon, which aired nationwide in a prime time Christmas slot.
Over the the last 3 years, Big Hand have self recorded, produced and released the 'Wrong & Right' EP (April 2005) and the 'Dark & Light' EP (August 2005) from their 'Ruffhand' studios in Edinburgh and the 'Day & Night' EP - the 3rd and final of the set, recorded in SAE Studios in Glasgow. Over the summer of 2006 the band also managed to take a day to record a limited edition 7" (the 'Black & White' EP) which was released Jan 2007 and saw the introduction of Will Worsley (Cat Stevens Craig David, etc.) as the bands mixing engineer. Work is close to finished on Big Hand's debut album 'How About It?' in a secret North London location and is set for release January 2008.
Big Hand have 4 truly unique frontmen, from the "heartbreaking harmonies" and magnetism of the two lead singers, 'Lolo' and 'Pabs', to the manic hypnotic gravity defying antics and musical showmanship of bassist Luke 'Black Elk' Martin and Phil 'is he on drugs?' Ramsay. With dates confirmed throughout the UK from Glasgow to Manchester, Edinburgh to Brighton, Birmingham to Bristol and Inverness to London, and with a plethora of summer festivals on the cards and tours in Europe, Australia & America planned post album release, the four-piece are now set on world domination…
"Don't let them tell you you're unique" Phil, Tim, Paul & Luke (AKA Big Hand).
We only formed in feburary and have had exams since so not had alot of time however lots of time now so all concentrated into creating some mind boggling "Zorbic" Ska...
I've just realised I never left the polite sort of 'thanks loads for playing in Aberystwyth, it was an amazing gig and a fine ol' show for indiesoc to go out on' kind of message, so there it is now, a month late but they do say that the tortoise won the race.
I'll see you on the 11th in Bath... which may be my new home town or I may just run back to Aberystywth. who knows? not me!
Greeeeet show last night! Sorry about the lack of people, I felt really let down. I guess people just don't know what good music is. I couldn't dance about last night as my feet were killing me. Had my knew so called "dancing shoes" on but they just didn't work.
The Mrs loved it, so thanks for playing the Spanish one for her!
Unfortunately, I wont be around this friday, still stuck in Cornwall working my bollox of as a care assistant! Still, I'm sure it'll be a great party atmosphere as it always is at a BH gig!
ps did you get the Hootananny gig photos I sent via Ingi on Facebk as i havent had a chance to log onto yer website yet.
Can't wait for June 13 lad's! It is one of our own nights. The Pressure Drop Sound System has put it on. That means myself & 2 other will be on the decks till 3am. Playing the best Ska all night long. See you soon!
just wondering if you will be cuming up to play in iron works at any point in inverness i know ur doing mac muir fest which i cant make arrrg :( and haven been able to see yas paly since belladrum last year coz i missed the one u played in iron works lat year to go abord for 2 months xoxoxoxoxoxo
We're a seven piece ska band based in Reading, and currently we're looking for as many gigs as we can get.
We've played plenty of gigs in front of audiences from 30-400 people, but recently we've started to hit it off, playing in front of 5000 people and 2000 people in this June alone.
We'd love it if you'd consider us to be a support act for you sometime, or just to gig along side you guys would be awesome.
How About It?
Wong & Right EP
Black & White EP Vinyl
Online Now!
