Folk Bands and Artists
Damien Barber
Damien Barber is a stylish and distinctive singer, be it unaccompanied or alongside his guitar or English concertina. He has been heavily influenced by such earlier singers as Peter Bellamy and Walter Pardon from his native Norfolk. Over the years, he heard many of the great English revival singers like Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan and Martin Carthy at his local folk club. There, he began to absorb the styles and sounds of local singers such as Tony Hall and Peter Bellamy and he was fortunate to listen to, and to play with Walter Pardon, one of the last great Traditional singers of the region, at his home before he died in 1996. With such strong folk credentials, it’s not surprising that Damien is a committed traditionalist. Damien is well-known for his collaboration with Mike Wilson. They share a rich repertoire of traditional songs from around the country. He formed The Demon Barbers (Peter Bellamy’s affectionate nickname for him) at the end of the 1990s. A traditionalist, might raise an eyebrow about folk-rock, but, surely, electric folk is part of a process of embracing and accepting relevant and appropriate new developments, just as folk music has, over the years, accepted the concertina and the Spanish guitar. “He plays a hell of a concertina and he’s got all the signs of being a strong, strong singer” Peter Bellamy
