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biografía : Northern Oak

Northern Oak was conceived late in 2006 when guitarist Chris Mole invited original drummer Daniel Loughran to have a jam with him at the formers University hall of residence. After several weeks of somewhat aimless practicing, the duo were joined by keyboardist Elliot Sinclair and assumed some direction, influenced by Sinclair's love of medieval, classical and folk music as well as by Loughran and Mole's love of extreme metal.

Some months later Northern Oak was born, the name decided during a camping trip in the Peak District, where the three, accompanied by future vocalist James Harris, camped on the side of a hill in almost sub-zero temperatures.

Back in Sheffield, more regular practices were arranged- the band began to write and construct songs with a strong folk influence, as well as working on re-interpreting songs that had been composed by Sinclair and Mole before Northern Oak was conceived. In time, female vocalist Lindsey Campbell was recruited to sing on several songs and soon became a full member of the band.

On the 1st of May, 2007, the band performed their first gig at the Under the Boardwalk venue in Sheffield. Based on the promoter's decision, Northern Oak were elevated to the top of the bill and played their first show to a crowd of 30/40 enthusiastic metalheads who enjoyed a somewhat different show complete with a cover of traditional English folk tune Greensleeves and a display of morris dancing from several members of the band. Shortly after this show, the band were joined by another new member - superlative flutist Catie Williams, who added an extra dose of folk to the sound of the band.

Soon afterwards, work began on recording some of the Oak's material. Feeling confident, the band decided to record a debut album independently, without going to a studio. Recording began in May and continued throughout the rest of the year, finally culminating in January of 2008 when the final vocal tracks were laid down. During this period the band also found time to play another gig at Under the Boardwalk, this time bidding farewell to Loughran, as he was about to move to Bristol and thus leave the band.

As the band worked on getting the album finished and printed, some other line-up shifts occurred - drummer ‘Kaarna' and bassist Kimberley Sears were recruited, and soon afterward, Harris left the band to be replaced by a long-time friend of Mole's, Carl Aspinall.

It has been a long road, but Northern Oak finally stands ready to release their eight-track debut, entitled ‘Tales From Rivelin', on an unsuspecting public. As the band's unofficial motto goes, “Folk up your arse!”


Source : http://www.northernoak.co.uk/bio.php