We are The Sunny Banks (formerly Shanvaghera), Bristol’s finest traditional Irish folk band. We play pure-drop foot-tapping Irish music. We met playing on the Bristol Irish session scene, and found a common love of the less-commonly played Irish tunes, played with lift and lilt.
If you’re looking for a traditional Irish folk band in Bristol or the South West of England, click below to send us an enquiry, or email [email protected] or phone 07807049896.
The Sunny Banks – pure Irish folk music
The Sunny Banks are available for bookings, for your wedding, birthday party, garden party – whatever you are celebrating! We can play as our full 4-piece or as a duo (fiddle and banjo/bouzouki or flute) or as a trio (various combinations). We can also play for a full-blown ceilidh, with a caller to teach you and walk you through the dances.
The Sunny Banks are…
Bradon Smith on fiddle. Bradon has been playing fiddle for 30 years, and is a well-known player on the Irish sessions scenes of Bristol, Bath and London. He likes exploring the less paddled backwaters of the Irish tunes tradition, and has a fondness for hornpipes.
Paul Kerins on tenor banjo. Hailing from Monaghan’s stony grey soil, Paul’s veins pump pure bogwater. His primary weapon is the Irish tenor banjo, but he will, on occasion, unholster his bouzouki for the craic. Listening to him play has a synaesthetic effect, to the point where you can almost smell turf smoke and silage.
Sheena Vallely on flute. From Armagh, Sheena cut her teeth playing at fleadhs and festivals all over Ireland. Since moving to England, she hasn’t stopped. While essentially traditional in style, her playing is characterised by its strong rhythm and drive.
Benjamin Trott on guitar. Ben’s chequered musical upbringing began with an unusual collage of listening to his dad play for Morris dance music on the flute, and Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds on vinyl. He ended up touring in Europe, Australia and America with the Tim Edey Trio, The Albion Band, Frogbelly and Symphony and Blackbeard’s Tea Party. Ben has lived in Bristol for over 10 years now and has been an active part of the local traditional folk music scene in Bristol and Bath. He brings his sensitive guitar arrangements to The Sunny Banks’ sound.