One half of legendary 80s Cow-Punk outfit Terry n Gerry, who had a couple of number ones in the Indie charts, and toured around Britain and Europe with the likes of The Pogues and The Men They Couldnt Hang. They also appeared on top television shows such as The Tube and The Old Grey Whistle Test. When the band split Colvin went over to Nashville to become a professional songwriter (his songs would later be covered by various American Country performers, and also Alison Moyet), before returning to form ColvinQuarmby.
Nick Quarmby - (Bass / Vocals)
Former bass player with the Dockery Boys, who appeared at Glastonbury and released a couple of albums. Formed the fledgling Phil Beer Band with Phil Beer, and continues to play bass in that band. Accomplished sound engineer in his own right, with Feast Of Fiddles amongst others.
Martin Fitzgibbon - (Drums / Percussion / Vocals)
A member of the original London production of the Rocky Horror Show, with the boots still to prove it! Original drummer with Nick in the Dockery Boys, and an in-demand session musician with hundreds of recordings to his name (just dont mention Billy Dont Be A Hero !!). More recently part of the brilliant Miranda Sykes Band along with Maart Allcock, Pete Zorn and Gareth Turner.
Allen Maslen - (Guitar / Accordian / Vocals )
CQ's second consecutive Welsh guitarist, (oh no, not another one!) Allen Maslen has been playing things in public for over 30 years, from pub rock to dinner jazz at the Cannes film festival. A session guitarist on the James Whale Show he also bizarrely found time to become an award-winning BBC radio presenter. After flirting with musical theatre in the mid 90's he founded folk rock band Meet on the Ledge and stayed with them as songwriter/multi-instrumentalist for 15 years.
Marion Fleetwood- (Fiddle / Cello / Mandolin / Vocals)
Has played violin and viola in groups as diverse as Meet on the Ledge and the London Festival Orchestra. As a vocalist she has performed classical, jazz and folk music nationwide. She also plays cello, mandolin and double bass. She enjoys Dandelion and Burdock and complementary gardening in between bouts of thrashing around on her Bridge Violin.
To Book ColvinQuarmby ring Debs Earl 07799 790 738
NEWS
Our lovely Dave 'E Dog' Dutfield has left CQ - We're extremely sad to say goodbye and wish him the very very best. The Dutters years were legendary!
However.. a new era dawns and we are very happy and excited to announce new CQ members Allan Maslan and Marion Fleetwood who have joined us from popular folky rockers 'Meet on the Ledge'. Between them they play a million different instruments and will undoubtedly help to shape a new, faster, sleeker, sexier ColvinQuarmby. Watch this space!
BIOG ColvinQuarmby's powerful original songs, intelligent - often ingenious lyrics and fine musicianship have built this five-piece band a strong word-of-mouth national following. Their musical style stubbornly refuses to be pigeon-holed, hardly surprising when they combine guitars, drums and percussion with fiddle, cello, squeezebox and spine tingling five part vocal harmonies. Setting them apart from the rest is creative front man Gerry Colvin. His energy is infectious, joyous and endearing, fuelled by a sense of the absurd, and inspires between-song banter that the country's top stand ups would kill for.
Shrewsbury Festival 2008
Watching Feathers Fall from Angels - CB2 Cambridge
Quotes from the Industry...
Newest - May 08...
'ColvinQuarmby - the hardest act to follow since the feeding of the 5,000!' Keith Donnelly
"ColvinQuarmby have brought a breath of fresh air to the festival scene. They are one of the most entertaining and professional acts in the UK. Offering a diversity in musical styles and featuring four excellent musicians, ColvinQuarmby have that extra magic which separates them from the merely excellent they are outstanding.
Gerry Colvin has written some great songs and he delivers them with an effervescence and vitality that immediately wins over audiences.
The bands performance slips by far too quickly and you find that you have been smiling throughout.
Humour, warmth and dazzling performance make ColvinQuarmby a must-see band."
Alan Surtees, Festival Director, Bridgnorth Folk Festival
"Gerry Colvin is a writer of great substance who is able to give us something that has been largely missing in English Music for a long time. His subjects and characters are clearly defined and his songs create strong images and stories which can make us both laugh and cry in the same breath.
This band is unique and unforgettable. The songs are brilliant. They should be a household name. Go see them.” Phil Beer, Show of Hands
'ColvinQuarmby - superb songwriting, excellent musicianship and vocals
plus Gerry Colvin - one of the finest entertainers in the music business.
ColvinQuarmby are a must for any serious live music venue' Pete Birks, The Pokey Hole
"If there's a Top Five of Bands Tower audiences love to welcome back, ColvinQuarmby are probably odds on favourite for that coveted top spot. Hugely popular with my audience and quite right too as they're great fun, fine musicians and jolly decent chaps. And Gerry Colvin really has to be seen to be believed; if he wasn't a talented singer/songwriter he'd have made it as a standup comic... . Book 'em Danno, you won't regret it." John Tellett, Centre Director, The Tower Arts Centre, Winchester
"ColvinQuarmby are one of the most exciting and energetic bands around at the moment. Superb lyrics, beautiful vocals, clever accompaniments and brilliant between-song patter which will have the audience helpless with laughter. The most difficult thing about them is finding a way to describe them to the uninitiated. The nearest we have come up with is Folk 'n' Roll". Ruth Bramley, Ely Folk Club, .. March 2006
"Theres always a gig here at Rugby Roots for CQ! Their music defies categorisation, its very different from the folkier acts that we usually present but we had no hesitation in including them in our spring season alongside the likes of Spiers & Boden, Show Of Hands, Feast of Fiddles and Swarbs Lazarus.
What you get with CQ are original and superbly crafted songs reflecting the ups, the downs and the absurdities of everyday life in the noughties, fine musicianship, four piece harmonies to die for, and a totally unique performing style. Its a great show, be it in an intimate club setting or a full to capacity festival marquee. We wish CQ the success they richly deserve - but hope they dont get too expensive :o)" Richard Barnes , Rugby Roots,. March 2006
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"Guys- I was at the gig in Rugby tonight, I was the one working the bar in a rugby shirt!
I have done the Bars for Richard for the past 6 years and have always been impressed by most of the acts he books,(Show of Hands, Feast of Fiddles, Martyn Joseph etc) however you had always seem to elude me until tonight.
Your complete set was just something else, in fact words cannot do it justice. I was laughing so much I had tears rolling down my cheeks and dripping into Customers pints! It was pure genius, entertaining, funny, satirical, great music, fantastic lyrics and Oh boy what a fantastic atmosphere. I have not been so entertained in many years and I will certainly be looking out for other gigs to come to and to bring others with me and I really hope you come back to Rugby really soon.
Fantastic and so professional! Keep it up guys." John Tippett, Bar Manager, Rugby Roots
"I'm not really allowed to have favourites in my job (not in public at least), but there are gigs that stand out from the crowd. The ColvinQuarmby gig at Bridgnorth 2005 was certainly amongst the best of that year, and Gerry Colvin is a seriously funny man. And he owes me five pounds!" Graham Bradshaw, April 2006,
Sound Engineer to Folk Festivals
"For pure enjoyment value ColvinQuarmby have definitely been the
highlight of 'Folking Live' at the Farnham Maltings this year".
Darren Beech, Folking.com
"I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of guesting with
ColvinQuarmby, and what a great band they are. A unique combination of four fine musicians, great music, humour, entertainment and great musicianship.The perfect festival band" Tom Leary, Fairport/Albion Morris/Feast of Fiddles/LJE/Tanna etc
"Wildly entertaining and off the wall in the best possible way; English
eccentricity is alive and well in a group of fine quality! Never mind the
label "Folk" - instead think of CQ as musicians, troubadours, tellers of
tales, creative chaps and damn fine entertainers." Graham Searle, Folk on the Moor, Plymouth
Cds -
Album One 1998
Town And Country Times 2000
Beths Electric Birthday 2002
A Short Walk To The Red Lion 2004
Live at Bridgnorth 2005 (Live Recording)
From the Old Court to Cropredy - 2007
Great gig on Saturday - we really enjoyed our first CQ experience! Thanks for being so generous with leads and pedals and things. Hopefully we'll get down to the Kitchen Garden Cafe, but if not, we'll definitely be to another gig soon.
Aww thanks you lot - I know! It's only taken 3 years to set up a page!!! We must catch up soon. For some reason I haven't been getting your gig newsletters. Let me know when you're playing back this way. Would love to see how you've changed from the olden days! (lol) x
Thanks guys for such lovely comments. Whitstable was absolutely lovely - what a great theatre. The group who run it should be so proud of such a fab place. Everyone so friendly too! Look forward to going back soon.
Hello peeps, My better half and I ventured along to the Playhouse theatre gig on Friday, three reasons why. 1/ to check out the theatre itself as I often pass by and wonder whats it like,and what a fantastic, quaint, intimate venue it is, a real throw back to the golden age. 2/ to keep in touch with the promoter of the evenings gig , the lovely Debs (Folk in the barn) who is at the top of her game. 3/ to see Colvin Quarmby who Debs insisted we see, "Wow" we were treated to a virtouso performance from the band driven along by the effervescent Gerry Colvin. With over two thousands gigs under my belt I can honestly say this was up there with the top echelon of the most entertaining gigs I have had the pleasure of witnessing. Steve.FOH engineer
Heya saw you at The Playhouse last night and thought you were awesome, brilliant band, wicked songs and so funny as well, think 'House of the setting sun' is just the best song ever...:) thanx again and have a great weekend luke x
Yes, I really enloyed that weekend very much, and I loved watching you playing and I would also love to see you over here in Germany someday, I will get all my friends to show them how lovely, great and really very funny you are, sorry to have missed you at the bar at Cropredy so.... All my best wishes to you, much love, Inge xx
Thanks guys! I was right at the front and having a ball as well as a bawl. I can't remember the last time a band managed to make me cry and laugh in such rapid succession!
Deciding which of your CDs to buy first! Which song has the lyric "they fixed me, but I'm still broken"?
Thanks again, see you further down the road... Rob
Yes, the weather this last weekend was beyond fantastic for a festival weekend! And it looked like the artists were having just as much (if not more) fun as the rest of us. It was beyond fantastic on so many levels.
Hiya. Looking forward to the Otterton Mill gig - we have our tickets and have some friends coming along as well. Any chance you can play House of the Setting Sun in your set? You didn't do it out at the Acoustic Festival, and I really like that one. See you August 1st. Kevin
Hello, Just dropped by to say how much I enjoyed Gerry's solo gig today. Always great to see my old mate. This time though it was very different indeed... References to Nick & Phil Beer also included in the performance. He Crooned & swang through tunes accompanied by a talented keyboard player (Whose name I've forgotten - sorry). Look out Harry Connick Jnr... Here comes Gerry "Cocktail-Lounge" Colvin! All the best, Lee.
Hi guys, you didn't half cheer me up at Fareham (I'd never seen you before). Well done on those 2 GREAT sets, I'll be putting some more photos of your gigs up as soon as I've sorted my computer out (what a blast taking photos of you). :-) Look forward to the next time - I really enjoyed your songs and thought the craic was great too! x
heya thanx very much for acceptin the add, really wicked songs and playing i think, 'the last laughs on me' is my fave and the slide on that sounds awesome...:) hope u like my stuff... luke x
