Something’s stirring in the village of Little Dribblepatch…it’s Derek Tinkleberry, Donald Cornfoot and Edmund Sidebottam, otherwise known as Folk On – the finest comedy folk band since The Hay Bale Boys (and who remembers them?)
But how did it all begin?…
Derek and Donald have been making music together since their Primary School days, when the Music Room in the village school was temporarily used for detentions. From those early (and raucous) beginnings came their first band The Reggae Recorders, whose repertoire included ‘London’s Burning’ and ‘Frere Jacques’ (but with that unmistakeable Caribbean lilt).
Fast forward several years and Derek and Donald, having progressed onto instruments that people actually like to hear played, are performing under the name Simon and Garth’s Uncle, innocently unaware of the controversy this moniker would later cause. It was at this time that Fete (the Little Dribblepatch Village Fete, that is) played its hand – a straight flush. As Derek and Donald were queueing for the toilets they were pleasantly surprised to overhear an interpretation of The Reggae Recorders’ ‘The Wheels on the Bus (Go Round and Round)’ coming from within the cubicle. As the door flew open, Edmund Sidebottam fell out of the Portaloo and straight into the arms of folklore. Derek and Donald invited Edmund to join them on stage at the Fete, as the third member of Simon and Garth’s Uncle.
As bad luck would have it the international recording star Paul Simon was visiting relatives in Little Dribblepatch that day and was in attendance at the Fete. He was already in a foul mood having just been refused a go on the Bouncy Castle, due to the height restriction. This mood was only made worse when he saw “three simpletons” (his words not mine) on stage, with a home made banner daubed with a, possibly copyright infringing, name that was not a million miles away from his former band’s name.
The events that followed can’t be mentioned here (it’s one of the stipulations that Mr Simon made to avoid the Court case) but suffice it to say that heated words were exchanged, some that Derek, Donald and Edmund had never heard before, and having mis-heard a suggestion that Mr Simon made for a band name, the boys decided to do the opposite and Folk On !
The rest, as they say, is history…except it’s not, it’s the future.