The Christians came to prominence at the back end of the 80′s and carved out a unique place in popular music. Once described in “Rock, The Rough Guide” as ““The Temptations in ripped jeans, producing gritty-centred songs in a sugary vocal shell”, it was frontman Garry Christian’s effortlessly cool voice and imposing appearnce that became synonomous with the band. Never afraid to tackle social issues, their haunting, yet hypnotic melodies and beautiful harmonies put a modern, British angle on Soul. Closely tied to their home town of Liverpool they stayed at No.1 for several weeks in the UK with “Ferry Across the Mersey” in conjunction with Paul McCartney and other acts – a song in aid of the victims of The Hillsborough disaster. It is probably their own material that they are best known for with classics like “Hooverville” and “Ideal World” doing exceptionally well both here and abroad. In all the band notched up 10 top 40 singles and had, amongst others, both a No.1 and No.2 Album. The band are still very much in demand playing major festivals across Europe. Nibley is proud to have one of the classiest acts to grace the music scene in recent times - a big Nibley welcome for The Christians!

If Britpop was for many, the irritating spats between Damon and Noel, then Dodgy was the antidote to all of that. Sometimes described as Power Pop Rock, this Indie trio hailing from Redditch originally put a smile back on the nation’s face. NME once said of them that festival promoters would leave a slot open in the sure knowledge that Dodgy would turn up and steal the show. For the 90′s generation they symbolised an innocent form of hedonism – festivals, summer sun and good times. The band seemed to have found the perfect recipe for a rock song – great guitar riffs and choruses demanding to be sung along to, all put together with a genuinely happy vibe. They associated themselves with a wide variety of good causes and charities, something which is often forgotten amidst the joyful tunes. Festival crowds loved them and people went out and bought their records in their droves (they reached the top 40 singles chart 9 times) and yet at their height the band dissolved. Luckily for us the lads reformed back in 2008 to the delight of many. They have since played the likes of Glastonbury and have an eagerly awaited new album due out in February 2012 – perhaps we will be listening to a string of new hits come July 7th?

If you want a fun, high energy festival band then Imperial Leisure must be the most up to date version of it. Ska mixed with Punk, mixed with Hip-Hop, mixed with an occasional nod to rock, it should be a musical mess, yet it works, brilliantly. A large collection of ridiculously catchy choruses, this young band deliver entertainment in bucket-loads. Everything is brought to the crowd with cheeky smiles and a determination to enjoy themselves – it’s infectious! Musically they are super talented with a booming brass section, tight rhythm and the most jumping about on stage you’ve ever seen from a front man (genuinely). This London based band can be seen at festivals all over Europe – we are lucky enough to have them at Nibley so be prepared to stomp it large.

Just won The 2012 Irish Music Awards for best Celtic Rock Band and best Fiddle Player!! The Roving Crows are the real deal when it comes to getting a crowd going Celtic style. With Irish roots, the band are now West Country based. Their act can move between relentless reels and uplifting, soulful tunes, but in the main they deliver up-tempo crowd pleasing, original numbers – if you are not up and dancing to the Crows then you’ve lost your lust for life somewhere along the way. Fantastically talented musicians they might be but The Roving Crows capture the true essence of Irish folk music – a group of people having fun and letting their hair down. We know that the Nibley crowd will love this band and we are thrilled to have on board one of the very best Celtic Rock bands around.