“…the soundtrack of hell raising festival folk tunes, to back room bawling and bar room brawling, of escaping to brighter futures, the familiarity of the world you know or just a damned good night out. If Nashville were in Somerset, Billy In The Lowground would be one of its leading lights. So let’s raise a glass of cider (with a bourbon chaser for good measure) to the Nashtonbury scene, it may only contain one band, but it’s a start, right?”
~ Dancing About Architecture music blog
It’s always difficult to describe a band that plays their own original material..!
Comparisons have often been made with the Waterboys and the Levellers, but there’s a distinctive tone to Billy in the Lowground that’s all their own, and they’ve resisted being slotted neatly into a pigeonhole from day one.
Suffice to say, they’re a 6-piece West Country Rock band with a distinct Irish influence courtesy of fiddle player Ruth Behan, driven by a tight rhythm section, playing original songs written by Chris Hibberd.
Since forming in 1991, they’ve played many hundreds of gigs in venues small and large all over the UK, as well as more festivals than you can shake a stick at, including Glastonbury, Ashton Court, Village Pump, Bearded Theory, Summer Breeze, Pontardawe International Folk, Larmer Tree, Off the Tracks, Lechlade, Landed, Farmfest, Watchet, Godney Gathering…
They’ve also supported a wide selection of well-known acts including John Otway, Shane McGowan & the Popes, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Waterson & Carthy, Oysterband, Rory McCleod, the Wurzels, Fairport Convention, Wishbone Ash and Transglobal Underground.
You can find out a bit about the history of the band here, and check out some songs, photos and videos from the tabs at the top of the screen, and see where they’re playing on the Giglist of course, plus check out where they’ve played recently here – have a look around!
Billy in the Lowground are always interested in opportunities to play new venues and festivals, and can be contacted directly via the Contact form on this site, or via their Facebook page – Please get in touch!
The current lineup is:
Chris Hibberd – lead vocal, guitar.
Ruth Behan – fiddle.
Ian Simpson – bass, backing vocal.
Nick Clinch – drums.
Kevin Read – banjo.
Tim Blake – mandolin, guitar.
Live dates coming up – see Giglist for full list:
