Crazy Folk are a musically diverse 5 piece band from the North West, gate-crashing the folk scene with a lively blend of traditional Irish, drinking songs, 3 part harmony and instrumentals.
All the members are professional musicians active in many genres of the music industry performing in Classical orchestras to Jazz and World music groups. They all share a passion for Folk and Celtic music and formed the Crazy Folk band in 2009 as an outlet for the music.
Ange McClarty, originally trained as a classical flautist and has played in a variety of ensembles from the Preston Opera pit orchestra to La Flute Harmonique – a flute Choir based in Cheshire, in which she currently plays bass flute. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance from Salford University College and a PGCE from Leeds University. She’s not only a great flute and whistle player but also a fantastic singer.
Rob Wakefield is classically trained. He is an accomplished violin and viola player and mandolinist who is experienced in writing and recording string parts for rock and metal bands. He has also recorded other genres of music such as hip-hop, folk and classical. He also plays Tekerolant (Hungarian Hurdy-Gurdy), citera (Hungarian zither) and Utogardon (Hungarian beaten cello).
Dave Speakman currently plays in a variety of ensembles ranging from big bands with the legendary Andy Prior nationwide based funk and jazz groups. A man of many talents, he also is a prolific songwriter/composer and juggles a very busy teaching schedule.
James Adolpho originally from Portsmouth is a giant of the double bass. He holds a post graduate degree from the R.N.C.M and can be seen regularly all over the British Isles playing in many world music ensembles.
Gareth Hughes is an in demand drummer hailing from Cheshire. Gareth's work encompasses a wide variety of musical situations. His live work sees him performing and touring all over the UK, Europe and Canada. Other performance work includes most major Jazz clubs in the UK (Ronnie Scott’s / The Vortex / Pizza Express), cruise ships (Queen Mary 2) and festivals (too many to mention). He also frequently records sessions for artists featured on BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 music.
