The Band

“…and the ice cream man made ice cream all day long, and to the devil’s word he sang the ice cream song. For local law there stood the ice cream man, not on a horse but in the Ice Cream Van…”

Formed in the summer of 2004 out of friendships and appetite, Carousel Circus are a midlands based band with a unique fusion of original blues, country and folk music wrote with a modern tongue. Over the years the band have continued to push themselves with their inquisitive attitude and thirst-quenching desire, resulting in an ever-growing list of achievements and performances.

Over the years Carousel Circus have shared the stage with some fantastic names in the music industry, including N-Dubz, Ocean  Colour Scene, Levellers, Example, The Rifles, Hawkwind and Bez (Happy Mondays) while also performing live sets on BBC WM and Kerrang! radio stations. They have also been fortunate enough to tread the boards at some fantastic venues across the UK, including Liverpool’s Cavern Club, Islington’s Carling Academy, Camden Barfly and Birmingham Symphony Hall. In the studio the Circus have recorded and released 3 albums, all on their own record label and distributed digitally worldwide through 2 separate distribution deals. Debut album “Russian #1″ was released in 2006 and included live favourites “Forever Gone”, “North Winds Rising” and “Oh Lord Save Me Now.” This album was recorded using what little tools the guys had at the time, (some of the sounds on the album were made by peculiar items such as screwdrivers, shoes and various forms of “borrowed instrumentation”) allowing the band to experiment and gain confidence around a mixing desk. Using the money from the sales of this record the band were able to invest in a greater collection of recording equipment, and the set up of their own recording facility. This led to the following 2 albums, both released in 2010. Free download “Firetongue” was an acoustic recording of singer Craig Gould and his guitar, and the 3rd release “The Butcher, the Baker and the Ice Cream Maker” was a full blend of roaring rock guitars combined with beautiful strings and acoustic beauty.

2011 saw 2 new members join the band, Craig Francis on piano and Aimee Strange on vocals. This has took the sound in a new, exciting direction and allows even further depth and development into the songs. A new, mature sound has been born from a wide mixture of influence and experience as once again Carousel Circus strive to see just how far they can really go…