Phil Caffrey - vocals, lyrics, acoustic guitar
Peter Caffrey - vocals, smiles
Paul Caffrey - vocals, lyrics, acoustic guitar
Alan "Big Al" Stevenson - guitar, mandolin
Michael Bailey - bass, good looks
Trevor Brewis - drums, percussion
The band mainly plays in 2 formats depending on the gig or venue:
Acoustic - Phil, Peter, Paul and Big Al
Full band - All six of them. There have been times when there was 5 - they're flexible!
The Support Act
Paul "Gilly" Gill - driver, salesman, Caffmobile inventor
Ray Carter - out front
Influences
Beatles, Tamla, Free, Eagles, CSNY, Prince, Tom Petty, our brother Gerard!, and too many more to mention.
Sounds Like
Themselves! Comparisons are often made to American west coast sound, CSNY, Del Amitri, Crowded House, REM. Renowned for great harmonies. Were billed as Britain's answer to the Eagles.
Brothers Phil, Peter and Paul Caffrey have sang together all of their lives since growing up in Wallsend, North East of England.
Their first band was the Kaffas 4 when they were at school but their professional singing career began when they formed Arbre and secured a recording contract with DJM records (home of Elton John) in the mid 1970’s. The band was hailed as Britain’s answer to the Eagles, and released two critically well-acclaimed albums - “Time and Again” and “Arbre”. They also released 4 singles – “Fallin”, “Senorita”, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let Me Be Your Lover”. A couple of those singles were records of the week on Radio One.
The brothers reformed as The Caffrey Brothers in 1980 and recorded a single “Dear Jacqui Q” for Phonogram produced by the legendary late Gus Dudgeon.
The band then stopped playing live, but always retained an involvement in the music industry. Phil’s song writing gained the attention of major music publishers, resulting in Kiki Dee recording a song Phil co-wrote. Phil also sang backing vocals on the Saxon album “Destiny” and brothers Peter and Paul have also done session work.
In 1999 the brothers decided to re-form and recorded their album “The Caffrey Brothers” and they started to play live again. They’ve since released “Face on my T-Shirt”, followed by “Storm Before the Calm” – all three albums have had glowing reviews.
Once again performing regularly, the band’s profile continues to rise across the UK, playing festivals and venues beyond their native North East, as well as making TV and radio appearances. They still, however, also enjoy performing smaller venues due to the rapport they build with the audience – their enjoyment of playing is infectious.
Over the years members of the band have worked, recorded, or played with a diverse range of talents including (in no particular order): Fairport Convention; Jim Capaldi; Gus Dudgeon; Kiki Dee; Pink Floyd; Dave Stewart; Saxon; Jimmy Nail; The Hollies; Lindisfarne; John Miles; Isaac Guillory; Paul Young; Eve Selis; Keith Emerson; Blind Boys of Alabama; The Zombies; Yngwie Malmsteen; Martha Reeves & the Vandellas.
The Caffreys are a band with a past, but they don’t live in it - with the quality of their new song writing and the magnificent three part harmonies (still intact from their Arbre days), the Caffs - as their many fans call them, are very much a force to be reckoned with, as Phil points out:
“We still have that hunger for acceptance. Obviously, years of experience grounds us in reality but put us on stage alongside anyone you care to mention – anywhere – and we can capture that audience. This is a living, breathing band now and we’re really up for it.”
If you want any more information about the band, including booking queries, please send a message or email thecaffs@hotmail.com.
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Gentlemen, Just a quick note of thanks for asking me to do the opening spot for you last night at the Live Theatre. A great night all round I think. See you all soon I hope. Keep safe, Simon
I'm just dropping by to say hi. Also I want to thank you so much for being a good myspace friend, it means a lot. Hope your weekend is filled with good love and good music. Keeping it low, Cole
Great to hear from you Phil! Found your website, but I was a slow bird searching for the myspace! Anyhows, glad to be hear now - Some sweet harmonies on the tracks. The week-off's been grand. Hope yours has been good - see you Monday x