This week we caught up the brilliant Damien Barber from The Demon Barbers for a quick chat…

You’re celebrating 25 years of The Demon Barbers this year. Congratulations! Going back to the start, how did the band initially come together? What were your aspirations for the group at the beginning?

When I started The Demon Barbers, the folk scene was changing, there was a move away from solo acts and smaller acoustic groups, and festivals were becoming bigger, louder, and more geared toward bands that could bring a party. I formed The Demon Barbers to fit into that, something energetic and (hopefully) different, while still rooted in traditional English folk song.

One of my inspirations back then was Cordelia’s Dad, a punk-folk band from Massachusetts. I met them at a couple of festivals in the USA I was playing at, as a solo artist, and I loved their approach and the way they fused tradition with something raw and contemporary.

Not many people know this, but the original line-up for our debut at Whitby Folk Festival in 2000 didn’t make it to the stage. Some of the band members had to cancel last-minute, so we ended up with a revised line-up: Original Demons; Rich Ashby on drums & Gareth Turner on melodeon were joined by two absolute heroes,  Lee Sykes on bass and Bryony Griffith on fiddle, who stepped in to replace Cath Oss (Cordelia’s Dad) and Gina Le Faux (who, incidentally, I first saw at Sidmouth in the early 90s). That show at Whitby was the only time Gareth played with us, as Little Johnny England was taking off and he wanted to focus on that. Will Hampson came in to replace him in 2001, and Ben Griffith took over from Rich in 2005. That line-up, Ben, Will, Bry, Lee and I, became the foundation for the next 12 or 13 years.

We did some band gigs back then but we mainly toured the The Demon Barber Roadshow which was the 5 piece band + Black Swan Rapper, Dog Rose Morris and Tiny & Fiona Taylor (clogs).

Around 2005, I started exploring more theatrical ideas, bringing Hip Hop dancers into the mix, which led to the development of The Lock In. Since then, The Demon Barbers have become the driving musical force behind that work, and because of the nature of those shows, the band line-up has been a bit more fluid over the years. But that’s been a blessing in disguise. It’s kept things fresh, and we’ve had some incredible musicians’ step in when Bryony, Lee or Will haven’t been available.

At its heart, my aspirations for the band was always about bringing traditional English folk song to wider audiences and putting traditional folk dance onto main concert stages. I’d become involved in the folk dance scene (as a founder member of Black Swan Rapper) and I felt that folk dance was being pushed to the fringes of folk festivals (still is?), and I wanted to challenge that.

What have been some of the highlights over the last 25 years?

There have been so many unforgettable moments but a few really stick in my mind. Touring China for two weeks in 2009 was surreal. The culture was so different to the UK’s…at one point, we were asked to perform 10 minutes of “disco dancing” on a 50 metre glass catwalk in a nightclub, in front of 1,000 very drunk audience members…how could we resist! (Seriously though, those 10 minutes saw some of our finest dance moves yet).

Playing to a crowd of 20,000 at Cropredy in 2007 was another big one for me, I grew up listening to Fairport Convention and being part of their 40th anniversary was incredible. And our shows at Glastonbury over the years are definite ticks on my bucket-list.

But probably the biggest highlight was recording Disco at the Tavern with Kipper Eldridge and Donal Hodgson at Chairworks Studio. These guys are world-class producers, and working with them was just incredible. It felt like a real “we’ve made it” moment. The production, the creativity, the collaborative energy, fantastic.

And of course, winning Best Live Act at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2009 was a huge moment for us.

Looking ahead to Sidmouth this summer, you’re playing a special show up at The Bulverton – what can people expect from your set?

We’re putting together something really exciting for Sidmouth this year. The line-up includes our long-time drummer Ben Griffith and I’m absolutely chuffed he’s back on board for the tour. We’ve also got the insanely talented Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne joining us, along two amazing musicians from outside the folk scene, Alix Shepherd on keys and Hugh Vincent on bass. Both Alix and Hugh have worked with us on The Lock In, and it’s great to be touring again with them.

On the dance front, one of our original clog dancers, the dynamic Tiny Taylor, will be pounding out the beats and we’ve also got two superb breakers, Chris Banks and Marie Mathias, to add our signature modern twist. Chris & Marie have been huge supporters of our theatre work and I’m excited to be bringing them to the Sidmouth for the first time.

In short…It’s a late-night Bulverton set, so expect high energy, big beats, and a full-on celebration!

Do you have any favourite Sidmouth memories from over the years?

Sidmouth has been a huge part of my folk life. I first came with my dad back in 1985, when I was 14. Coming from the wilds of rural Norfolk, I was completely unprepared for the sheer scale of the festival but I loved it, and came back every year until my mid-20s, when I moved to Ireland.

What I loved most back then was the camaraderie, the buzz in the fringe, the campsite chaos (before The Bulverton even existed!), people connecting through traditional music and dance.

One of my standout memories was performing at the ‘Flame’ event in the Arena in 2003. I’d had an idea for a rapper sword dance using flaming swords. I sent off some designs to Frank Lee, a great rapper sword-maker from Cumbria, and convinced my fellow Black Swan dancers to go with it. They still didn’t quite believe me, even as I handed them paraffin-soaked swords at rehearsal. But we pulled it off, and that performance in front of 2,000 people remains one of my proudest, most ridiculous, moments.

Is there a specific Sidmouth tradition that you always try and do when you’re at the festival?

I always loved the idea of the ceilidh in the ford, I don’t even know if it still happens these days (probably a health and safety nightmare now!), but I was always performing somewhere else when it was on. I’d really love to take my 8YO daughter, Merry, to that if it’s still going.

The procession has always been a must, and of course, the LNE (Late Night Extra…Is it still called that?), where you finally get to see all your mates you’ve missed during the day!

With over 750 events running across 8 days, the festival can be a bit daunting for those who haven’t been before. As a Sidmouth veteran, do you have any top (survival!) tips for newcomers to the festival?

Don’t over-plan. The programme is great for events or gigs you don’t want to miss but try not to be too fixed. If your friends or family want to do something else, let them, go solo. I spent all my Sidmouth’s with no fixed plan (unless I was booked), and I stumbled across some incredible music & dance, and people.

What’s next for The Demon Barbers? Is there a plan for the next 25 years?!

Blimey…I’ve got so many ideas I probably need another 50 years! But yes, there is a plan, or at least the beginnings of one. This year is all about reconnecting – with friends, fans, promoters and our name. For the past five years or so, we’ve mainly been touring with The Lock In, and this is the first time since the pandemic that we’ve been out as The Demon Barbers again.

This tour gives us space to settle into the new line-up, try out fresh ideas, and play with the material. The big question for me is which direction do we want to go next? Do we return to our roots, like on Uncut, or keep pushing forward in the more produced, theatrical direction of Disco at the Tavern? I think this tour will help us answer that.

But one thing’s for sure…we’re not done yet!

You can catch The Demon Barbers on Thursday 7th August, 8.15pm at The Bulverton. Tickets available here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/sidmouthfolkweekproductionsltd/1674576