Boys From The Hill

Formed in 1991, Boys From The Hill were a Swansea based urban folk band consisting of Andy Jones (Guitar, Vocals) Chris Pitson (Bouzouki, Guitar) Martin Leamon (Melodeon, Bouzouki and Accordion). Their music was a mixture of self-penned and traditional material with a strong social commentary. They have developed their own innovative brand of Welsh Urban Folk, combining many influences, musical, social and political to create new acoustic music relevant to their time and place. Their debut Album "Boys from the Hill" Fflach Tradd CD243H received much critical acclaim, registering significant votes in the Froots - Radio 2 Critics poll. A track from this album "Theme Park" was translated into Breton by singer songwriter Dom Duff and included on his album "Straed An Amann" which was nominated for best Breton album 2003. The Boys have also recorded live sessions for the BBC, S4C, Radio and Television and have had a varied history, playing Pubs, Clubs, Theatres and Festivals in the UK and abroad. They have represented Wales on British Council sponsored tours of Estonia, Czech Republic, Portugal and France. Chris and Andy as members of Pibe Bach also took part in groundbreaking tours of Libya, Palestine and Oman. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Music to feed your soul. - CERI RHYS MATHEWS (FERNHILL) A band with a conscience. - HOWARD MARKS (LOADED MAGAZINE) The Group Boys From The Hill are a product of the maritime, industrial, historical and political song culture of South Wales and particualy Swansea. They gig constantly and tirelessly playing the bars and clubs of Swansea and it's hinterland bringing with them ( like urban troubadours ) the politics of humanity and justice to good time traditional music. They have huge hearts and unwavering commitment. - ROUGH GUIDE The Boys from the Hill remind me of The Clash. Their attitude and their energy is comparable to punk and they also combine a social conscience with great tunes and musical intelligence. I got the same rush listening to their version of Lifeboat Mona, for example, a song written by Peggy Seeger, as i get from say , Brand New Cadillac or London Calling. And there's not a Marshall amp or Fender in sight. Andy Jones is a great singer, powerful, but never shouty and audiences really respond to his emotional delivery. They know he means it. - JULIE MURPHY The musicality and in your face performance of the Boys From the Hill had a packed house entertained from the word go. - N.M.E The band are tapping into the rich vein of Welsh music and at the same time adding something new. - FRANK HENNESSY (BBC) With their Urban roots, Boys from the Hill, provide a new perspective on the Welsh tradition, much of which is rural in origin. They play with an inspired freshness, though to say they blow a gentle breeze through the tradition would be misleading it's more like a Force 9 gale. - TAPLAS The boys are true Celtic brothers, drawing on the rich poetic heritage of the Welsh mining and industrial community and also the deep bond with the sea . Using traditional acoustic instruments and an almost punk ethic, they fuse it into an alt-folk hybrid of beauty and resonance. The often brutal tales of urban decay, injustice and cultural oppression are told with feeling and angst,with singer Andy coming over like Joe Strummer, tapping back into a time when the only defence that the dispossessed had was a voice and a song. They’re always touring the UK and October sees them visit Libya for the first time. - TAFFPOP RECORDS (info taken from their now defunct band website)