Associated acts Six of One | Website www.fisherstale.co.uk | |
Members Adrian Burr - Lead guitar/Violin
Abbie Cordial - Lead vocals/Keys/Percussion
Darren Cordial - Drums/Percussion/Keyboards
Nathanael Stock - Rhythm guitar/Vocals
Peter Gaston - Organ/Piano/Flute/Saxophone Origin Ware, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom Genres Folk rock, Contemporary Christian music | ||
Fisher's Tale were a Christian (specifically, Christadelphian) folk rock band, based in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. They released five albums.
Contents
Name
The band's name is captured in the title of the debut album: "Why didn't you tell me... the fisher's tale?". The "fisher" referred to the fisherman Peter, telling a tale of what happened in the early first century CE. The original band had an a cappella song called "The fisher's tale" which only existed as a demo version.
History
The band started in the early 1990s when a Music and Drama workshop was started in Ware (Hertfordshire, UK) under the direction of Mark Gates, intended to bring together young people's talents. The aim was to express aspects of the Christian message in different art forms. Organisers of the workshop decided that a fixed membership music group would have a greater opportunity to write and present music than a variable workshop attendance, some attendees having other commitments (Richard Gates, Becky Chambers, Adrian Burr). Initially the group performed as 'Not yet band' until the name Fisher's Tale was chosen during a tea break at rehearsals in Barnet. Andrew De Witt and Tim Stephens, from the former band (Six of One), were involved from the outset, contributing to the folk-rock influence of the music. De Witt was a significant source of songwriting talent, and his contributions appear on several albums.
Original line-up
The original members of the band were:
From the outset the band had a strong performance ethic, combining musical performance with audio-visual presentation and dramatic reading.
The original group recorded the debut album, "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" which was released in 1996. The original album was digitally mastered but produced to cassette only. Rumours of a digital release of the original album have not been confirmed.
Following the release of the first album, Delin and Miles (then Tanner), two founding members, left the band. Richard Downton moved to acoustic rhythm guitar and vocals.
2nd album
In 2000, original drummer Tim Stephens left the band and Richard Downton moved to drums in addition to guitar and vocals. Adrian Burr, from the original Ware workshop, re-joined as lead guitarist, introducing more of a rock style to the band's music. The second line-up recorded Written in Rock in 1999. Pete Howarth joined as rhythm guitarist.
New line-up
Some months after "Written in Rock", Richard & Sarah Downton left the band. David Fention and Adrian Burr recruited Darren Cordial on drums and Abbie Downer to share lead vocals with Nathanael Stock on rhythm guitar. The new talent allowed the group to progress in new directions. Later in 2001, Fisher's Tale became a six-piece with Peter Gaston on keyboard.
In 2003, Fisher's Tale recorded their third album Boundless, with guest musician Anna Ryder on cello. Later that year Simeon Kay joined as bass guitarist, and founding member David Fenton resigned.
In 2005, the band changed musical direction with the release of its fourth album Different Horizon.
Last album: United Song
Following a sabbatical in 2006, Fisher's Tale resumed playing to live audiences around the UK. An open-air concert in May 2009 introduced previously unheard songs to the set. United Song was launched on 5 June 2010 at a concert in Knowle, England, with the band playing songs from previous albums, alongside all 12 songs from the new project.
Following the release of United Song in 2010, Simeon and Jo Kay resigned, and Peter and Julia Gaston emigrated to Australia.
Representation
Fisher's Tale maintains independent control of its content. Albums and tracks can be downloaded from iTunes and CDs are available through its website (http://fisherstale.co.uk/).