Emily Roe
Emily is the band’s fiddle player. Emily has been playing for many years and has played at many folk festivals, sessions and summer schools. Recently graduated from Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, Emily is a classically trained violinist and has played in youth orchestras and ensembles in France and Germany as well as the UK. She also plays flute, saxophone and piano, and is a member of progressive folk band Raj Raj Raj.
Francis Roe
Emily's dad Francis plays concertina and melodeon in the band, as well as guitar, 'cello, piano and accordion. Francis has played in a number of bands over the years and is also in demand as a caller, working regularly with Northern Frisk. He has many years' experience playing and singing in folk clubs, festivals and concerts, and has played bass guitar with 60s pop group Melvin and the Volcanoes, and keyboard with folk-rock band Reel Gentlemen. He is currently 'cellist in the Red Rose String Quartet. Francis appears on several recordings, including Nick Caffrey's Long Looked For Come at Last, Caffrey/McGurk's Transition, and the eponymous CD by Melvin and the Volcanoes. A music teacher by profession, Francis is also a choral conductor, directs several junior choirs, and is the composer of numerous songs for young singers.
Ed McGurk
Ed plays bass with the band. Ed has been on the folk scene since c1970. A former member of the Blackburn based folk group Nevis, who were resident at the Citheroe Folk Club in the 1970’s (did they wear kipper ties? I did). Ed moved on to form Litany with Nick Caffrey, Peter Lewis and John Hemmingway. Ed is a member of Bandersnatch, performs as a folk duo with Nick Caffrey and is also a solo folk singer and guitarist. Ed plays acoustic guitar, cittern and whistle.
Ed’s recordings include:
“It’s the Riot Band” (We were up all night thinking of that title!),
“Round and Round”, Bandersnatch released in 2006
“Changing Days”, Bandersnatch released in 2008
“At Liberty”, Ed McGurk released in 2011
“Transition”, Caffrey/McGurk released in 2013
A guest on Nick Caffrey’s CD “Long Looked For, Come at Last”
A guest on Roisin Isaacs CD “Pipe Dreams”
Bob Duckworth
Bob has played double bass and sang with Bluegrass band “Whisky Before Breakfast”, and Rock and Roll band, “The Witnesses”. Bob also played melodeon for Rumworth Morris for many years. As well as being a musician, Bob is an accomplished maker of musical instruments. Bob has made hammer dulcimers, Appalachian dulcimers and mandolins and has been commissioned by a number of musicians on the Manchester music scene to make various instruments. Bob made the Telecaster guitar, which he plays in the band.
Neil Duckworth
Neil has played the drums for over 30 years and for 25 of those years with The Riot Band. He specialises in rock, punk and folk rock music and has played in many bands in the North West over the years. These include Revisit, Section 22, Zoo, Prime Example and Badger.
The Riot Band
