The Publicans are purveyors of the finest blend of Irish Folk and English Indie.
Our songs, including covers and originals, are fine-tuned for dancing, drinking and singing along too.
As the great Shane McGowan once said ‘There’s nothing to be gained by a wet thing called a tear‘.
We play pubs, clubs, festivals, weddings, birthdays and wakes. We love a good busk too!
The full band is a 5 piece with mandolin, penny whistle, guitar, bass and drums or cajon.
This lineup is always a chuckle, It has lots of energy and is very upbeat.
Other lineups include:
4-piece without bass or guitar. Pretty much as full-on as the main band.
Trio with mandolin, penny whistle and cajon. Folky with a strong beat
Duo with mandolin and penny whistle. Fun and folky
Duo with mandolin and guitar. Fun, folky and protesty
Solo with mandolin using looper or backing tracks. Folky!
Duo and solo line-ups are great for small venues and limited budgets!
We can tailor our lineup to suit the requirements of any venue and event.
We play country-wide, including Europe and further afield
Based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire
Streams of Whiskey (The Pogues)
Fairytale of New York (The Pogues)
Sally Maclennane (The Pogues)
Country Roads (John Denver)
Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl)
Little Lion Man (Mumford and Sons)
Irish Rover (Pogues and The Dubliners)
Half the World Away (Oasis)
Don't Look Back in Anger (Oasis)
The Galway Girl (Steve Earl)
The Black Velvet Band (Dubliners)
Whiskey in the Jar (Dubliners)
The full band requires 13 amp power. Trio and 4 piece lines-ups can run from battery if no power is available.
Yes, we’re completely self-contained. We bring our own PA system to all of our gigs as well as a simple lighting rig.
We need to know any directions that will help us find the venue and find the right place to load in our equipment. We’d also need to be informed if there’s a sound limiter in the venue.
Yes, we can supply incidental music and a DJ if required. We’re happy to choose the music ourselves or let the client choose the music.
There's an Irish pub called Flan O'briens in Bath which is always our favourite place to play. The landlord is a Star and the crowd is always fantastic. After that weddings and birthdays are the best, everyone is up for good time and the vibe is always great.
We're greatly influenced by bands such as The Pogues, The Dubliners and the Chieftains. However, The Lightening Seeds, The Smiths, Mumford and Sons also find their place in our sound. Even John Denver has a spot with Country Roads always bringing the house down.
We've all been playing in various bands and acts for years but we came together in this form for a St Patrick's Day gig in 2018 and never looked back. We expanded the set and have now played pubs, clubs, weddings, parties and festivals throughout the UK.
We love playing at all sorts of events but weddings and birthdays are our favourites! The guests are always happy and it’s easy to get them dancing.
Shane MacGowan said in Streams of Whiskey
'There's nothing ever gained by a wet thing called a tear'
So let's have some fun while we can!
We have over 3.5 hours of music in the set and it's growing all the time. We don't generally take a break as we like to keep the party going, however, we're more than happy to fit the set to the client's requirements.
Always happy to play outside. But not into direct sunlight if it can be helped.
We have a fairly extensive repertoire of songs to choose from, and we're happy to discuss the set with the client. We're always happy to learn songs for a booking.
A very lovely person said at the end of a wedding set that we bring 'joy'! Also, We get hugged a lot at the end of gigs, which is better than words really.
See venues below
Nailsea Rugby Club
Market Tap (Oxford)
Blue Lagoon (Bristol)
Bristol Rovers pre match entertainment
Flan O'Briens (Bath - Monthly residency)
Port Mahon (Oxford)
Hornets RFC (Weston Super Mare)
Old Badger Inn (Stroud)
The Stable (Bristol)
West of England Irish Festival (Bristol)
The Seven Stars (Bath)
The Birkett Tap (Bristol)
Bath Party in the City
South Glos Food Fest (Spring and Autumn Festivals)
The Bear and Rugged Staff (Bristol)
The Three Brooks (Bristol)
The Black Horse (Taunton)
Oxford Arms (Oxford)
Hillcrest Camp Out (Henley-in-Arden)
Birthday Party (Private Booking)
The Bell Inn (Banbury)
Feast On the Downs (Bristol)
Melton Folk Summer Festival (Melton Mowbray)
Birthday Party (Private Booking)
The Bristol Inn (Clevedon)
The Rising Sun (Bristol)
BunkFest (Wallingford)
Wedding Reception (Greenwich London)
New Inn (Amesbury)
Napton Cidery (Napton)
Birthday Party (Private Booking)
Irchester Bowls Club
Corporate Event (Golden Jubilee River Cruise - Thames, London)
The Boat Inn (Chepstow)
The Trinity Inn (Bath)
The Plough Inn (Wrington)