Sam Sweeney (fiddle, percussion) began playing the violin aged six, and soon picked up his parents enthusiasm for folk music.

Sam has performed with many other groups; he spent two years as a violinist in the Nottingham Youth Orchestra, including tours of North Italy and Spain in successive summers. He also performed, for two years, with FolkESTRA North!, a group brought together by Kathryn Tickell and Folkworks at The Sage Gateshead, and appears on their eponymous debut album (Fellside Recordings FECD178). Whilst with FolkESTRA, Sam performed in front of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh as part of the Jubilee celebrations in Newcastle.

In 2007 Sam became the latest recipient of a BBC Fame Academy Bursary, a substantial financial award that will assist his further musical development, including his university studies.

Sam is a multi-instrumentalist whose collection of instruments expands with worrying rapidity; recent acquisitions include a set of English Border bagpipes, a viola and a mandola. He also plays drum kit, cajon, djembe and nyckelharpa (a peculiar Swedish instrument that looks like a cross between a violin and a hurdy-gurdy and sounds, to quote the man himself, "like a fiddle in a bathroom").


Hannah James (vocals, accordion, dancing) has been involved in folk music almost since she was born; taken to her first festival at 10 days old, she grew up surrounded by traditional music and dance. She was introduced to dancing by her mother, Julie James, herself a founder member of the Feet First dance team, and began learning to clog dance when she was seven.

Her musical development was further influenced by joining the Fosbrook Folk Education Trust, and under the guidance of Liza Austin-Strange, she began to learn the accordion. Hannah performed at a number of festivals with the Fosbrooks.

Hannah is probably the most active member of the band in terms of finding new material; she has attended a number of Ethno Music camps in Sweden and Belgium, and much of Kerfuffle’s European material has been found in this way. She also enjoys finding traditional songs in old collections.

Hannah’s clog dancing has become a mainstay of the Kerfuffle set, and she became the Lancashire and Cheshire Junior Clog Champion at Fylde Folk Festival in September 2005, losing out on the overall championship by only one point!



Jamie Roberts (acoustic guitar) joined Kerfuffle in Spring 2007. He hails from Barnsley and was brought up in a musical family - his sister Kathryn fronted folk-rock band Equation and she now tours with guitarist Sean Lakeman. Since teaching himself guitar at the age of fifteen, Jamie has been experimenting with different percussive styles and tunings and his playing is constantly evolving to fit in with his own compositions. As well as playing with Kerfuffle, Jamie performs in a duo with Katriona Gilmore.


Tom Sweeney (bass guitar, vocals) picked up his parents' love of folk music at an early age and learned the bass guitar after playing a number of other instruments as a young child. Before Kerfuffle formed, he often accompanied his brother Sam in performance.

Tom picked up much of his understanding of folk music through the recordings of Fairport Convention, The Albion Band and their various members past and present, so naturally, early hero worship included Ashley Hutchings and Dave Pegg, as well as an appreciation of Pat Donaldson and Danny Thompson. More contemporary influences include Matt Malley (Counting Crows) and Mike Mills (R.E.M.).


HISTORY

Kerfuffle began, oddly enough, in the foyer of the Derby Assembly Rooms. Hannah James was a 13-year-old accordionist and singer, performing in a competition for young folk musicians called In The Tradition. Sam had won this the previous year, and was in the audience. Later, in the foyer, Tom, Sam and Hannah played tunes. Sam was looking to return to another competition he had previously won, and wanted to form a band to do so. In the spring of 2002, the three young musicians did just that, and won the Wiltshire Folk Association Young Folk Award. Realising they were onto something, they decided to look for a fourth member to fill out their sound. This final piece fell into place when Hannah introduced the brothers to Chris Thornton-Smith, a guitarist from Rotherham who she knew through folk clubs. Kerfuffle was complete.

A hastily recorded demo was circulated, and folk club support slots followed. Combined with the appearance at Trowbridge Village Pump Festival (their prize from the WFA), the year was busy.

In the spring of 2003, Kerfuffle recorded their debut album. Not to Scale was recorded by the renowned musician and producer Steafan Hannigan in Spring 2003 and released to great acclaim in the summer of that year.

“Not To Scale is still an extraordinarily fine début recording”
David Kidman, NetRhythms

"...by any yardstick, this album succeeds triumphantly. A candidate for one of my top 5 albums of the year"
Dai Woosnam, The Living Tradition

Not to Scale was launched at the first Festival of the Peak. On a gloriously sunny Friday evening in June, on a stage in front of Carsington Reservoir in the Peak District, Kerfuffle took the festival by storm.

Summer 2003 also included an appearance at Sidmouth International Festival, including a slot on the Arena Stage.

In Spring 2004, Kerfuffle returned to the studio. That said, living room would be more accurate; K2 was recorded by guitarist Chris Thornton-Smith and produced by the band. Released later that year, it was critically acclaimed.

“They perform with a maturity, skill and exuberance that belie their tender years…. K2 is a great listen.”
Debbie Koritsas, The Living Tradition

“The skillful way the tracks are performed and put together is testament to the bands growing maturity for the music and the technique they display is second to none … The instrumentals are pure class”
Phil Daniels, Folking.com

The summer saw Kerfuffle play high-profile festivals including Towersey Village Festival (main stage support to Flook), Show of Hands' summer outdoor concert at Abbotsbury, and Priddy Festival.

In December 2004, Kerfuffle were finalists in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, held at the Union Chapel, Islington. This would turn out to be the first of three trips to the capital in a 10-month period.

In the spring of 2005, Kerfuffle recorded a live session for BBC Radio 3's "Late Junction" at Broadcasting House. The programme's presenters, Fiona Talkington and Verity Sharp, were already big fans of the band, having played K2 several times.

Summer festivals included Cleethorpes, Middlewich, Saddleworth and Bromyard.

Later that year, the band played two nights in the bar of the Linbury Theatre, a 400-seat studio theatre directly underneath the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

By this point, the recording of Links had begun. Recording with Chris allowed the band the freedom to make the album more slowly, and it was pieced together over the winter and spring of 2005/6. Released in February 2006, Links was Kerfuffle's most ambitious album to date.


"Delightfully sophisticated instrumental arrangements"
Dirty Linen (USA)

"Constantly inventive arrangemnts of tunes and songs alike...a sharply defined sense of purpose"
fRoots

"Links profiles their impressive grasp of a wide range of material from thrilling balladry to the swift reel "
MUsician [magazine of the Musicians Union]


Kerfuffle's return to the Festival of the Peak saw them fill in for an absent act on the main stage at short notice and to considerable success. That summer also saw Hannah and Tom juggle appearances at Brampton Live, Festival at the Edge and Bromyard with taking their A-Levels and applying to university. In September, Tom went to study Philosophy at the University of Leeds, whilst Hannah is studying Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University.

In the autumn of 2006, it became clear that Chris no longer had the time to devote to Kerfuffle; ever more successful as a sound engineer, Chris's Blast PA Systems was in demand. After an amicable discussion, the band decided to seek a replacement guitarist. Chris still sees the band on the circuit, and plays with them on occasion - its all friendly!

Chris played his last gigs with Kerfuffle in February 2007; a home gig for Sam and Tom at Loughborough Grammar School, a magnificent appearance supporting Lunasa at the Victoria Hall in Saltaire, and a farewell performance at a folk club near Chesterfield.

New guitarist Jamie Roberts, a graduate of the Leeds College of Music, played his first gig at Handley Village Festival in June 2007; an exciting, unconventional guitarist and an accomplished musician, Jamie adds a new dimension to Kerfuffle's performances.
Web Site : http://www.kerfuffleonline.co.uk/framebiog.html