The Mechanicals Band combine their passion for poetry and their love of music and bring them together in a unique way.
Poems you know and love are given a second life, off the page, with fresh classical and folk inspired compositions. Fronted by main songwriter Wes Finch (guitar & vocals) and joined by long time collaborators Jools Street (violin) and Ben haines (percussion) the line up is completed by Katrin Gilbert on viola and John Parker (Nizlopi, Ward & Parker, Rober Plant & Alison Krauss) on double bass.
This group of talented players aim to entertain, enthuse and inspire you with words from the greats of poetry.
Forming in 2017 in response to a song writing competition set by The RSC in Stratford-on-Avon, Wes demoed 5 songs using words found in Shakespeare texts. Although never submitted into the competition the songs were picked up by the BBC and the group’s debut performance was at The RSC The Other Place Theatre in Stratford and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 for the #Shakespeare400 celebrations, alongside RSC cast members, Peter Knight’s Gigspanner and Rufus Wainwright.
William Shakespeare is the main inspiration and theme for the bands debut release ‘Exit, Pursued by Bear’, released in 2017 and described by FATEA as:
“A gem of an album, combining bittersweet contemporary style acoustic ballads, with Shakespeare’s words and a subtle folk-blues swing.”
2019’s ‘Miscellany #1’ EP, 5 poems from different poets set to music elicited the response “This is brilliant,…” from Rock-n-Reel magazine.
2019 also saw the development and performance by The Mechanicals Band of an Arts Council England funded theatre and live music show, based around the life and loves of poet Philip Larkin, called The Righteous Jazz, to a great reception. The band will release music from this stage show in 2020 and hoe to tour The Righteous Jazz later in 2020.