Banter consists of Simon Care on the melodeon, Nina Zella handling keyboards and vocals, Tim Walker on drums, percussion, brass, and vocals, in addition to calling dances, and Mark Jolley playing bass, fiddle, guitar, and also contributing vocals. This quartet of accomplished musicians, deeply rooted in the traditional English music scene, delights in pushing musical boundaries.
Since their formation in 2015, their shared passion for the evolving traditions of English song and dance music has driven them to incorporate a broader range of musical styles into their repertoire.
They have quickly made a name for themselves as a distinctively original force within the English traditional music scene, leading to performances at major UK festivals such as Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, and Sidmouth Folk Festival, among others, as well as international appearances in Europe.
Their debut and follow-up albums, YES and DARE, released between 2017 and 2019, garnered critical acclaim, including high praise in FATEA, Songlines, and RnR Magazines, and they even performed a live Valentine’s Day session on Mark Radcliffe’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Show.
Now recognized as one of the UK’s leading bands, their third studio album, THREE, offers fresh takes on beloved traditional songs and energetic dance tunes, featuring guest appearances by John Spiers and Phil Beer.
Despite being a four-member band, they produce a sound so expansive they’ve been hailed as “the world’s smallest big band.”