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About Broom Bezzums
Mark Bloomer & Andrew Cadie

Broom Bezzums is a unique, powerful live acoustic duo comprising the talents and striking stage presence of Andrew Cadie and Mark Bloomer.

It's unusual for a duo to have two lead singers. Furthermore, both are top flight multi-instrumentalists, bringing to the stage fiddle, guitars, mandola and Northumbrian pipes, topped off with soaring vocal harmonies. Their charming, humourous presentation paired with the variety and quality of their arrangements wins over every audience – even those who didn't think they liked folk music!

Andrew and Mark have a solid grounding in the traditional music of the British Isles, with a particular leaning to the traditions of Andrew's native Northumberland. Striking a keen balance between folk authenticity and modern day styles, their songwriting and their CDs have attracted enthusiastic reviews worldwide.

Based in Germany, they are both fluent German speakers and have helped spark a wave of enthusiasm for English folk music in Germany (and have imported the concept of humour). With this foreign vantage point, Broom Bezzums have a unique perspective on British life and traditions from which to draw their inspiration.

After appearing at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival 2009, they were asked to embark on their first support tour with Show of Hands, whose lead singer Steve Knightley described Broom Bezzums as “just about the best young duo on the circuit”. Award-winning songwriter Jez Lowe regularly borrows Andrew as an additional fiddler and piper for tours in the UK while both Andrew and Mark make guest appearances on countless CD productions.

Andrew was taught fiddle and pipes by Kathryn Tickell, Mark perfected his guitar skills over years of regular sessions while living in Ireland. Both are well travelled as buskers with the stories, songs and life experience you'd expect of modern day troubadours.

Broom Bezzums, with their impressive musicianship, soulful delivery of mostly political songs and easy charm, have rapidly risen to be one of the leading acts on the German folk scene today – and are now steadily growing in popularity in the UK.

As a Swiss critic once put it, “Broom Bezzums don't just play their music – they live it”

Mark Bloomer:
Vocals, guitar, mandola
Andrew Cadie:
Vocals, fiddle, guitar, Northumbrian pipes

Band biography <click>