The seeds of the band were sown in a glorious pub session in Oxford during the spring of 2000, when a trio of aspiring session players from a strong scene in Southampton bashed out some tunes with Reading-based accordeonist Luke Daniels. The vibrancy and potency of the forthcoming music touched all of them. Coupled with the fact that all four got on like a house on fire, it was no surprise that they vowed to take the situation a step further and put a set together with a view to playing a gig.

"We decided early on that what we had required a slightly unusual approach. Our two fiddlers would alternate on the viola to become a part time string section, which seemed to free up Don to really play around with his guitar rhythms. I was working more and more on the compositional side, but a spring commission from the English National Opera to write for a Celtic fusion project got me back playing the accordeon and gave rise to a lot of new ideas. The 'Broderick' sound." LUKE

So who are these bright young tunesmiths?

Luke Daniels is a winner of the BBC Young Tradition Award, in recognition of compositional excellence. He has performed around the world as a member of top Irish band De Dannan, innovative jazz fusion group Scarp, and more recently as a permanent member of the Riverdance Orchestra. In addition to his awesome ability on the button accordeon, Luke's reputation as a composer has kept him very busy too, with commissioned work from both the Arts Council of England and the English National Opera. All of this experience shines through in the highly original nature of his arrangements for Broderick.

Clare Garrard is a classically trained violin player with a long history of orchestral work which, in addition to her playing, enables her to make a strong contribution in the theory department, taking care of speed notation and transposition.

Clare is a relative newcomer to Irish music and has taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. Whilst studying for a degree in acoustic engineering, her desire to find a music scene lead her to her local roots venue, Southampton's notorious "Talking Heads". Complete immersion in the local Irish session scene, progression into gigging and a job at the venue soon followed! Her warm, flowing fiddle and viola style greatly enhances the atmospheric depth of sound which Broderick create with their music.

Colm Murphy comes from a very musical family in Cork, Ireland and has a long time served in the traditional tunes of his homeland. He is equally at home "tinkering" with tunes on a number of instruments, but he really shines when he is in action on his fiddle. Despite being a relative newcomer to the professional scene, his precise, technical style has been raising eyebrows and gaining admiring comments at festivals and sessions on the south coast for a number of years. In addition to his fierce playing Colm can always be relied upon to lighten a heavy atmosphere with his wicked sense of fun, or failing that his excellent Aaron Neville impersonation! Anybody who has seen this band will know that good humour is an integral part of the way that they work together.

Don Oeters is a seasoned musician (and another acoustic engineer, as it happens) who has played in many bands, but is probably most commonly recognised as the drummer with top Cajun outfit "The Flatville Aces", fronted by Southampton's long-time fiddle star Jock Tyldesley. Don's sharp sense of rhythm and percussive style transfer beautifully into his guitar playing, which gives the band the driving edge which makes their sound so distinctive. His use of subtle strumming and slightly "dark" rhythms really draws the listener into the tune which can then teasingly build up and erupt into an exciting wall of sound. Don's maturity brings a degree of balance and experience which is a great leveller within the band and his obvious love of live performance is a big factor in their dynamic gigs.

Making the potentially difficult transition, from being a group of friends having a tune over some beers into a committed managed band with a decent recording under its belt, has also happened in a very pre-ordained fashion. An outdoor event in Bracknell last July was hit by a deluge of heavy rain, and the organisers made a swift decision to abort the mainstage and continue in the small cellar bar, normally reserved for local acts and comics. A nervous and very damp Broderick were ushered quickly on to the stage and tentatively began to play. They soon relaxed into a wicked set of reels, jigs, original, Galician and Scandinavian tunes which had the surprised audience driven into a frenzy, with thoughts of the rain soon forgotten. One member of the audience that day was Steafan Hannigan, founder member of the established Irish band Sin E and Creative Director of Offspring Records at Milton Keynes. It only took a few tunes for Steafan to decide to offer the band a recording contract with his company.

" It was clear from the rapport that these four different musical personalities had with each other and their audience that there was something pretty special going on...." STEAFAN HANNIGAN

The recording of Broderick's first album "Kissing Fishes" was scheduled into a relatively short studio time allocation last autumn, putting pressure on the whole team to really deliver their best. A furious three weeks followed with the band and Steafan all working long, long hours to get down ten tracks which they were all happy with and projected the warm live feel of Broderick's playing. Luke took charge of the recording schedule and also produced four beautiful new arrangements of some of his favourite traditional songs, such as "Holy Ground" and "The Claudy Banks", which were all dealt with superbly by guest vocalist Airavata. Other talented guests James Fagan, Alec Dankworth and James O'Grady have all added a dash of extra spice to this exciting debut. The compelling album cover and associated title were taken from a piece of work by talented young artist Charlotte Bracegirdle.

" We're extremely pleased with the result, a lot of nervous energy went into making this album - it was all worth it." COLM

The album starts off with "The Fishing Reels", a lively fluid set which starts with "Love at the Ending" inspired by Calico's Tola Custy, then moves cleverly into a tune penned by flute maestro Michael McGoldrick and on into a trad' tune popularised by the ever-impressive La Bottine Souriante, finishing sweetly with old favourite "The Silver Spear". This set of tunes is the perfect introduction to the warm feeling and sense of masterfully controlled dynamics which is so characteristic of the band's definitive live performances. Even in the quieter moments of a track the listener has an unnerving feeling that they may be knocked clean off their feet when the full power of the music is unleashed.

Next on offer is the whimsical " Do You Love An Apple", a delightful song reflecting on the many long-suffering girlfriends who find that married life does not cure all the problems in the men they love.....quite the opposite in fact. "The Shig Jigs" is a set of Luke's tunes from his time with the Riverdance show, the third of which has already been used by the superb Karen Tweed and Ian Carr. Another classic traditional song follows...."The Claudy Banks" a ballad beautifully sung by Airavata tells of a sailor returning home after seven years who tests the loyalty of his loved one before revealing his identity to her. " Tommy Peoples" is a very evocative rendition with Luke and Don creating great presence with their minimalist combination of guitar and accordeon, conjuring up an eerie late-night mood.

The next track " Farewell to Highland" is one of the bands favourite live numbers and gives the listener a taste of Broderick in full flight. The set begins with a tune from the Donegal highlands, builds ominously with an interesting arrangement of an Ed Reavy tune then finally erupts with a driving version of " Elzic's Farewell". A brief respite comes next with the gentle song " The Holy Ground ", a subtle arrangement of an old favourite. " La Charmante Fille de Clare" is a trio of tunes; the first (and title track) is dedicated to the band's talented female fiddler, whilst the second and third are lively French tunes learnt from Cyril Roche.

James Fagan composed the opening tune in the next set, the album cover clearly inspiring the title " Kissing Fishes". The tune starts in a very disjointed, sinister way, slowly building up pace and coherence until it becomes whipped up into a dark, rhythmic storm vaguely reminiscent of Grieg's piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King". The tune ends with a piece which Luke composed for the English National Opera. The final offering on this diverse debut album is a powerful anti-war song " Bramblethorn", penned by Luke's mother, singer/songwriter Sara Daniels.

Extolling the virtues of this impressive debut recording is all very well, but music is best played live as we all know and Broderick are no exception. In keeping with their humble origins, their first official gig was at......yep, The Hammersmith Irish Centre! A storming night was had by all and they have since performed at the venue again, on the same bill as Irish legends Patrick Street.

Two impressive gigs in their hometown's "Talking Heads" venue have perhaps been their finest performances to date. The first was a crazy St. Patrick's day last year when they squeezed into a venue that was packed to the rafters, forced the crowd back far enough to erect a small stage and set up, then promptly delivered a two-hour plus set which soon had three hundred people dancing on tables and joyously drowning each other in draught guinness. The second was a more civilised, but equally sublime Sunday evening when they shared the stage with Chicago fiddle legend Liz Carroll. The maturity Broderick showed was far in excess of their limited experience, a fact that was not overlooked by Liz either....she was full of enthusiasm and praise for their accomplished playing and the warmth of their music.

"You've landed into a good situation with Broderick, who really showed a wonderful presence that night." LIZ CARROLL

So what does the future hold for this exciting young band? Their aim now is to get out and play as much as possible in the coming year; with a determined and experienced team behind them, arts centre bookings are starting to come in thick and fast, as indeed are summer festivals. Mainstage appearances at Gosport, Windows on the World, Folkworks, Wimborne, Trowbridge, Sidmouth and Towersey are already confirmed. A full national tour is planned for the autumn, after which a second stint in the studio will be fitted in. Negotiations to get the band over to Europe and the States early next year have also begun. More details of the band's activities can be found on their website www.broderickonline.co.uk.

So when you're sat out in the sunshine at a festival this summer, thumbing through the programme and wondering which gigs to take in because you cannot get to all of them, put a circle around the Broderick show and treat yourself to some really fresh Irish music. This band was meant to be!

"it's the stunning vocals which stand out" - Dave Beeby, Living Tradition

Airavata

Airavata was born in Britain in 1977 and has been immersed in a diverse range of music ever since. Her mother plays the button accordeon and sings traditional Irish ballads and her father is an accomplished bodhrán player, banjo player and instrument maker. She started singing and touring with the family band from the age of 9 and took up the guitar at age 11. By 13 she was a touring member of the Essex Guitar Orchestra and since the age of 12 has been writing her own material. By 16 she and her brother, Clive Carroll, were two-thirds of the successful folk trio "Back to Basics". In 1997 she made her first solo album "Don't be Blue" and began performing as a solo artist all over Britain. It was whilst performing with Clive that she met Luke Daniels who, impressed by her vocal clarity and skill, asked her to perfom on Broderick's new album "Kissing Fishes"

As well as continuing to perform with Broderick, Airavato is also playing guitar and singing with her brother Clive at venues as diverse as local folk clubs to The Royal Festival Hall. At present she is writing her second solo album, which is due to be released later in the year.