Hamfatter
are a pop rock band from Cambridge, UK, formed in 2002. The core of the band is a three-piece, comprising Eoin O'Mahony (vocals, piano, bass), James "Jimbo" Ingham (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Ellis (drums).
Eoin O'Mahony is the younger brother of the author Daniel O'Mahony.
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HAMFATTER TICKETS
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History
Following tours of local venues throughout the UK, and several line-up changes, Hamfatter signed to http://www.pinkhedgehog.com Records in 2003.
Hamfatter's first official album,
Fireworks
(April 2004), enjoyed moderate success - particularly in and around Cambridge, where the band had built up a following. The album exhibits several different styles.
Hamfatter's next release,
Girls in Graz
(May 2006), continued to raise the band's UK profile. The title track received radio-play and became a surprise hit in
Austria, and two European tours followed. During this time Intim Productions of Vienna produced a DVD featuring live performances, interviews and a video for the song "Fireworks".
In June 2006 Hamfatter were booked to headline the main stage at
Strawberry Fair, Cambridge's summer festival. For this performance in front of an audience of several thousand, the usual three-piece line-up was enhanced by a horn section and
double bass. This larger line-up has featured at most of the band's subsequent performances.
Hamfatter recorded their third studio album, entitled
What Part of Hamfatter Do You Not Understand?
, in summer 2007. Its lead single, "Sziget (We Get Wrecked)", reached 13 in the UK indie charts, and 54 in the UK singles charts.
NME
wrote a review in 2007 saying "Hamfatter carry an arsenal of power-pop nuggets including the amazing 'Sziget' which deserves to be a hit."
Dragons' Den
The band appeared on the UK edition of
Dragons' Den
on
BBC2 on
21 July 2008, where they performed an extract from "Sziget (We Get Wrecked)" in an attempt to secure a £75,000 investment as an alternative to a standard record deal. After offers from four of the five potential investors, they agreed a deal with
Peter Jones.
[1]
The following day, Peter Jones appeared on
The Chris Moyles Show on
BBC Radio 1 and Hamfatter's next single "The Girl I Love" was previewed. It was then announced that the song was available to download immediately, and would be available to buy physically in August. Within one hour of their appearance on Dragons' Den, the single had sold 500 copies via downloads, with a further 1,000 selling later that night.
[2] On the
UK Singles Chart published on July 27, 2008, the song entered at #71. Released on CD and vinyl a month later, the single entered the indie singles chart at #3.
Hamfatter's unorthodox method of raising funding from outside the record label system led to some negative comment from
New Musical Express
and
The Guardian
. The
NME
subsequently published a negative review by Nick Haynes of the re-released album
What Part of Hamfatter Do You Not Understand?
without indicating that the album had previously received a favourable review from another
NME
journalist; the latter review did however, contain praise for "The Girl I Love", the only new track recorded after the band had secured financial backing from Peter Jones. Elsewhere, the
Dragons' Den
deal was greeted with interest and cautious praise from industry figures such as Dave Eringa.
[3], Feargal Sharkey
[4] and
NME
news editor Paul Stokes
[5] Reports that Hamfatter were due to sign a record contract with
Simon Cowell or
Sony were dismissed by the band as journalistic invention.
The new album is due for release in 2009. The band has also announced that Eoin O'Mahony will release a solo album in 2010.
Discography
Albums
- Fireworks
(2004)
- Girls in Graz
(2006)
- What Part of Hamfatter Do You Not Understand?
(2007)
Singles
- "Sziget (We Get Wrecked)" (2007; UK #54)
- "The Girl I Love" (2008) (2008; UK #71)
References
- Unsigned band brave Dragons' Den
- "Will Dragons' Den help Hamfatter get to number 1?
[1]
- Manics Producer: Dragons' Den Contract Is Clever [1]
- Dragons' Den: Exclusive Feargal Sharkey Interview [1]
- Analysis: Ready for a New Wave? [1]