Batter The Haddock

Cambridge's only Eurovision ceilidh band

* a special tribute page *

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!

We are Batter The Haddock, available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and funerals.
Please leave your name and address at the door,
and you will be hearing from our solicitors.

We're going to play our theme song now, and we'd like you to sing along.
It's called "Batter The Haddock". That's Batter, and not...


Cass Meurig
fiddle/
caller
Dan Bath
fiddle/
caller
Richard Fairhurst
accordion
Fraser McKevitt
bass guitar
James Kellar
guitar/
banjo


The Batter the Haddock story began in Cambridge, where the band met while studying subjects ranging from music to Anglo-Saxon (via engineering). Their steadily growing reputation culminated in two extremely successful performances at the prestigious Newnham May Ball and St Catherine's May Ball (bringing the event to a heady climax with a whirl of dancing!) and a late evening slot on the Acoustic Stage at the Strawberry Fair festival - with one observer describing them as "the epitome of Cambridge ceilidh cool".

The Haddocks - as they are affectionately known - went on to bring their rude raucous sound to many parts of Britain, combining fine instrumental virtuosity, a lively iconoclastic attitude, and a certain enthusiasm for the demon booze (allegedly). Their repertoire included traditional tunes and call dances from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, throwing in the odd bit of the Spice Girls, Gina G, or Kurdish folk music for good measure: and they are guaranteed to get any crowd on their feet with the traditional first dance, "Drinks For The Band".

Batter the Haddock have also been known to play jazz, and even string trios. Really. Here we are playing jazz at the George Hotel in Stamford (which is very nice).

The Haddocks can now only be tempted out of retirement by a very large cheque, or alternatively some free drinks.

All the lads!


A selection from the Haddock tour diary

The Haddocks played over fifty gigs: the list below contains a few that we can remember.

July 1995ASNaC Ceilidh, Cambridge
October 1995Fisher House, Cambridge
October 1995ASNaC Ceilidh, Cambridge
November 1995 Troubadours Banquet, Cambridge
November 1995 Clare College Iona Service, Cambridge
January 1996Emmanuel College, Cambridge
February 1996Pembroke College, Cambridge
March 1996Fisher House, Cambridge
March 1996Victoria Hall, Oakham, Rutland
March 1996Christ's College, Cambridge
March 1996Hash House, Tilbrook, Northamptonshire
May 1996ASNaC Ceilidh, Cambridge
May 1996National Market Day, Cambridge Market Square
June 1996Acoustic Stage, Strawberry Fair, Cambridge
June 1996Newnham College May Ball, Cambridge
June 1996St Catherine's College May Ball, Cambridge
July 1996Dan and Ali's wedding, Cambridge
August 1996Basingstoke
August 1996Muker, North Yorkshire
September 1996Cheadle Hulme, Manchester
September 1996Newbury
December 1996Fisher House, Cambridge
March 1997Victoria Hall, Oakham, Rutland
March 1997Hash House, Tilbrook, Northamptonshire
March 1997Fisher House, Cambridge
June 1997Portland Arms, Cambridge (Strawberry Fair warm-up)
July 1997Normanton, Rutland
August 1997Guildford, Surrey
September 1997Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
October 1997St Mary's, Bishop's Stortford
March 1998Kentish Town, London
June 1998Bisbrooke, Rutland
July 1998Yorkshire Dales
October 1998James and Clare's wedding, Lower Slaughter
April 1999Fisher House, Cambridge
July 1999Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
August 1999Oakham Castle and the George Hotel, Stamford
April 2000Fisher House, Cambridge
April 2000Caius College, Cambridge
May 2000Cass and Graham's wedding, Wales
July 2000Richard and Anna's wedding, Bisbrooke
June 2001near Nottingham
September 2001Wimpole Hall, Cambridge
April 2005Special Haddock Reunion Gig!


Theme from Batter the Haddock
(to the tune of Hunt the Squirrel, preferably not as arranged by Ernest Tomlinson)

Batter the haddock, batter the haddock, batter the haddock.
Batter the haddock, batter the halibut. (repeat)
Haddock battery, haddock battery, it's the one for me!
Batter, batter, batter it - batter the halibut. (repeat)

MP3s temporarily offline (fortunately).


Great (repeatable) Haddock moments of years gone by


Haddock links