Hello! We are made up of members from Red Snapper, Beth Orton, The Leisure Society and Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo. The six-piece band borrows from many genres to help us craft music that people of all ages can enjoy.

Harriette Ashcroft (Vocals, Guitar) - Ted Barnes (Banjo) - Ali Friend (Double Bass) - Gill Sandell (Accordion, Piano, Flute and Vocals) - Sebastian Hankins (Drums) - Byron Wallen (Trumpet)

Harriette Ashcroft, aka Mrs H, is the main writer, performer, guitarist and singer with the Sing-along band. Trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she has worked with Shared Experience, Theatre de Compicite, The Peter Hall Company and the LSO.

In 2005 she began Sing-along and has established herself as a unique, family performer.

"With her unique spirit she can woo capacity audiences to sing, dance and forget the world outside."
Camp Bestival 2014.

Ted Barnes is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer who plays banjo and co produces the band.

He is best known for collaborating with Beth Orton on her first three albums before going on to form the band Clayhill with Ali Friend. He has written three solo albums.

He now writes for songwriter's, film, theatre, circus, dance, art installations and music library.

www.tedbarnes.info

 

Ali Friend is known for being the distinctive double and electric bass player with Red Snapper. He then went on to write and perform with Beth Orton and was a founding member of the band Clayhill.

Other recording and live work has included, The Imagined Village, John Metcalfe, Sophie Solomon, David Axlerod, Paloma Faith, The Chemical Brothers, Death in Vegas, Emily Barker, Ed Harcourt, Shane Meadows and Talvin Singh.

As well as playing the bass with the Sing-along band Ali sings and co-produces the recordings.

Gill Sandell is the bands accordion, piano, flute and vocals maestro. In her own right she is a singer/songwriter and guitarist who has released two solo albums to date, 'Tary a while' and 'Light the boats'.

She was part of Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo, and still collaborates with Emily. She has also played with Adrian Crowley, Chris T-T, Timothy Victor's Folk Orchestra and Magoo

www.gillsandell.com

 

Sebastian Hankins started drumming when he was four years old. Since leaving Leads college with the prestigious John Sheerer prize for drumming, Seb has gone on to perform and record with a host of artists. These include The New Seekers, The Leisure Society, Jonathan Jeremiah, Beverly Knight, Ray Davies, Matt Deighton, Loney Dear, Peter Bjorn and John, The Mixtures, Peter Sarstedt, Timmy Mallet, The Metrepole Orchestra as well as various film and TV soundtracks.

Byron Wallen is "one of the most innovative, exciting and original trumpet players alive" (Jazzwise Magazine). Widely recognised as a seminal figure in the jazz world, he is constantly travelling the world recording, teaching and performing.

Byron was raised in a musical environment and went on to study the trumpet with Jimmy Owens, Donald Byrd and Jon Faddis in New York. His early music career was forged playing with Loose Ends, Cleveland Watkiss, Mervyn Africa, The Style Council, Charles Earland, Courtney Pine and Jean Toussaint.

www.byronwallen.co.uk