Harp And A Monkey

The harp ‘n’ banjo driven electro-folk-storytelling of Martin Purdy (vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, harmonica and keyboards), Simon Jones (harp, guitar, viola) and Andy Smith (banjo, melodica, guitar and programming) is imbued with a deep Lancashire sensibility that shines through in their beautifully crafted and sometimes spooky vignettes of northern life, love and remembrance.

The acclaimed electro-folk-storytelling trio have created this show to mark the centenary of WW1. It includes both original songs and re-workings of traditional songs, field recordings of people who lived through the war and the poignant, tragic and humorous anecdotes of a bona-fide First World War expert.

The Great War Show features some of the dark humour of the trenches as well as recording of the voices of the men themselves and explains the history of the songs based on real stories as well as an explanation of the nature of the ‘musical hall’ songs of the period.

Harp And A Monkey’s singer Martin Purdy, is an accomplished historian with published works and articles on WW1 and he regularly appears in the media and including radio documentaries.