About John Bull - members of the folk dance, country dancing, ceilidh band providing superb dance music in an upbeat folk rock style.

John Bull is a country dance/barn dance/ceilidh band that has been providing lively, accessible music for over 35 years. Essentially a live band, we specialise in performing in such a way that novices and experienced dancers alike can enjoy the fun of country/barn/folk dancing. Our approach to the music is complemented by the straightforward and fully explained calling provided by Eddie, which helps anyone to overcome any nerves they may have at the start of an evening! Click here for information on how to book the band.

The band was formed in 1976, when Robin Boyle returned to Merseyside from college in Cardiff and joined up with Colin Berrido, Richard Stapledon and Martin Hughes. Martin soon left and the other three recruited Neil Stuart from a Wirral folk group, and then teamed up with Eddie Henderson as their ‘resident’ caller, completing the line-up of the band for the next 6 years. At that point, Colin moved down south due to work commitments, but the other four members remained together – with occasional temporary changes and additions as people moved around the country. The most recent recruit – in 2009 – has been Richard’s son Matt on drums, so that the band is now usually a 5-piece although Matt cannot make every gig. 36 years later, the band continues to play and perform with energy, commitment and enthusiasm.

Whilst everyone was originally from The Wirral on Merseyside, the members of John Bull have now spread their wings due to professional commitments.

Neil now lives near Chesterfield, Eddie near Loughborough and Robin is exiled to the Isle of Man, leaving Richard and Matt as the remaining Wirral residents. We are therefore used to travelling substantial distances to wherever they perform!

Reflecting their Wirral roots, the band has provided the music for several plays produced by The Riverside Players in Heswall, including: Larkrise (the first part of Flora Thompson’s Larkrise to Candleford); The Nativity (the first play in The Mystery Plays cycle); Tess of the D’Urbevilles (Thomas Hardy was of course a fine fiddler and enthusiastic supporter of country dancing); and The Clearing (a play set against the background of Oliver Cromwell’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Ireland).

The band’s name was taken directly and deliberately from the 18th Century personification of Britain, reflecting the British bias in the music played. Since its inception, the band has specifically focused on playing folk-dance music in an accessible and lively manner, using modern instruments to help bring some of the wealth of material that makes up the folk tradition to new ears of younger generations. Whilst the majority of the music and dances come appropriately from the British Isles, in recent times the material has broadened to include compositions by members of the band, including tunes, dances and even songs, whilst still retaining the essence of the traditional idiom.

Click here to find out about our CDs and dance resource packs.