THE BAR-STEWARD SONS OF
VAL DOONICAN
The Electronic Press Kit
TESTIMONIALS
"The best thing to come out of Barnsley, since the A61 to Sheffield"
Jarvis Cocker, Pulp
"Some of the funniest men on the planet... parodists extraordinaire"
Mike Harding, Comedian, Folk Musician & Broadcaster
"Always enjoy the boys from The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican. When the North goes independent I am suggesting [Too Good To Be Jus] is our national anthem. Great fun"
Jason Manford, Comedian
"A ridiculous family of genius, hilarious, irresistible music makers, currently crowd-surfing to the bar and beyond, into the venues and music festivals of the UK. Long may they rock... but gently. They're quality."
Eliza Carthy MBE, Folk Musician
"The 8th wonder of the world is actually in Yorkshire... a wonderful Yorkshire genius collective known as The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican. To see them is to know true magnificence"
Kate Rusby, Folk-Musician
"One of the hardest working bands around, great entertainers, and the best pastiche outfit I know of."
Maartin Allcock, music producer and former member of Fairport Convention & Jethro Tull
"An act that you will want to see over and over again. Absolutely hilarious"
Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention & Jethro Tull
"Despite their plain and rather ordinary appearance, they are actually completely nuts. They are legends in their own tank-tops."
Fuzz Townshend, TV presenter (National Geographic's Car SOS) & former drummer with Pop Will Eat Itself, The Wonder Stuff & Nine Inch Nails
"Oh man! You guys look crazier than us!"
Wayne Coyne, frontman from six-time Grammy winners, The Flaming Lips
"Great guys. They ROCK!"
Graham Oliver, from Barnsley NWOBHM-legends Saxon
"They look mental!"
Tony Wright, from Bradford Brit-rockers Terrorvision
"They're a lot of fun, and bloody nice chaps to boot."
Erica Nockalls, from indie-rockers The Wonder Stuff
"The Doonicans put Barnsley on the map!!"
Dan Donnelly, Northern Irish troubadour, vocalist with Celtic Social Club, former guitarist with indie-rockers The Wonder Stuff
"They deserve the reputation they have earned as one of the festival scene's hottest bookings"
UK Festival Guides (Review)
"The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican stepped up to the main stage and proved to everyone that they are fully capable of holding big crowds. They stole the day with their tongue-in-cheek pastiche songs, hand-knitted tank-tops, ironic wigs, and outright sense of fun. (9/10)"
Virtual Festivals (Review)
"Titans of Tomfoolery. They have without question added a dimension to the cultural life of Barnsley."
Dave Burland, Folk Musician
"Like The Barron Knights - on speed!"
The Staffordshire Sentinel
"I couldn’t fail to mention a gig by The Bar-Steward sons of Val Doonican that left even them speechless at the sheer size, volume and enthusiasm of the audience. The impact these boys have wherever they go is utterly phenomenal. I suspect the trees are still creaking now from the aftershock."
UK Festival Guides (Review)
"The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican proved more than capable of holding their own. The Barnsley boys left the audience in stitches with exquisitly crafted parodies. A kind of Yorkshire answer to Weird Al Yankovic. (5/5)"
Heather Kincaid - Wolverhampton What's On (Review)
"The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican were the highlights of Saturday afternoon, swearily lampooning a genre that sometimes takes itself too seriously."
Jeff Robson, The Independent (Review)
"The summit of musical comedy. Scott Doonican's attention to detail is what sets the Doonicans ahead of all the contenders in this genre. These are lovingly crafted pastiches with tonnes of subtle layers".
R n R Magazine (Review)
"Rapidly becoming the must-have, must-see festival band, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican played to an over-capacity arena as hundreds more queued outside for a chance a catching their much-anticipated antics"
FestivalFlyer.com
"The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican’s reputation preceded them and they didn’t disappoint, resplendent in the most garish of tank tops imaginable... without doubt these guys can really play. Led by the inimitable Scott Doonican, everyone is jumping, as metal-head culture joins folk and hip-hop in an intoxicating mix"
Louder Than War (Review)
"A true sight to behold"
Derby Telegraph
"Bristles with proper belly-laugh moments... a LOL-a-minute through a variety of perfect pastiches. If there is any justice, the Doonicans deserve to be all over your Saturday night telly. (5/5)"
John Atkin - R n R Magazine (Review)
"It would be hard to watch these guys and not have a good time."
Anthony May - FestivalPhoto.net (Review)
"The Bar-Steward Sons do not try to make out that they are anything other than a bit of good old-fashioned fun and they take having fun very seriously"
Alan Ewart - Louder Than War (Review)
"It wasn't just the laugh out loud moments, of which there were many, but the sheer energy of the show and the stagecraft which made it a delight. Whatever your music tastes, make sure you check out The Bar-Steward Sons. There is not a chance you'll be disappointed"
Warrington Guardian (Review)
"Their lyrics are cleverly a humorous look at everyday frustrations and irritations, beautifully observed and then set to music, so well played, that each supports the other, to deliver a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts."
Simon Thomas - (Review)
VIDEOS
MUSIC: STUDIO & LIVE
DETAILS
Hometown:
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Formed: 2006
Genre: Comedy/Parody/Folk
Label:
Moon-On-A-Stick Records
(Independent)
BAND INFO
Scott Doonican:
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele, Banjulele, Bouzouki, Omnichord, Kazoo
Björn Doonicansson:
Tenor Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Bouzouki, Vocals, Flat-Pack Furniture Assembly
Alan Doonican:
Accordion, Keyboards, Keytar, Ukulele, Vocals, Eye-Candy of the Band
BRIEF BIOG
Put on yer finest knitted gladrags, style your barnet, put on your dancing shoes and bring your finest singing voices, as we cordially invite you to witness the Greatest Show On Earth (in tank-tops).
Hailing from Barnsley Rock City in t'North, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are on a mission! Determined to follow in their spiritual father’s immortal footsteps and keep his legacy alive, they have a talent for Bar-Stewardizing other famous people’s songs with new comedy lyrics, on acoustic geetar, ukulele, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, keyboard, keytar and the world's first synthesizer ukulele. To complete their squeaky-clean image, brothers-from-other-mothers Scott, Björn and Alan have become instantly recognisable for their immaculate hair and their stylish choice of knitwear.
A band that is both perpetually on the move and joyously independent, since forming in 2006, they have played over 1100 side-splitting shows to date, and have brought smiles and belly-laughs to audiences across the UK; from Barnsley to Barnstaple, from Glasgow to Glastonbury. They continue to wow audiences with their anarchic live shows and a fine selection of their greatest hits, including the likes of “Jump Ararnd”, “The Lady In Greggs”, "How Deep Is Your Glove?", "Nandos", “Paint 'em Back", "Walking In Manpiss" and “If I Could Punch A Face… It’d Be Justin Bieber’s”.