Murphy's Law started life as a band called 'Riff Raff' playing a mixture of Irish and Celtic tunes and songs alongside contemporary tunes by the like of the Pogues.
Starting out as a 4 piece:-
Jack Canavan - Guitar & vocals
Kev McLaughlin - Vocals & Bodhran
Stuart Smith - Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
Dave Deegan - guitar
It expanded to include:-
Dick Skinner - Melodian, Recorder & Bodhran
Geoff LeVogue - Guitar & Banjo
Phil Green - Bass Guitar
Kev McArthur - drums.
During this time 2 tapes were produced, one recorded live at the Sloop Inn at Barton Upon Humber and the other one, called '100% Proof' was recorded and produced by Terry Wincott of Amazing Blondel at his Scunthorpe Studio.
Riff Raff played all over the country performing in Irish Centres, Clubs, Weddings, Wakes, Folk Festivals and preceded John Peel at the Scunthorpe Baths Hall. They were also booked to support Suzi Quatro at a gig in Hull but Suzi unfortunately backed out! The last booking for Riff Raff was at the World Student Games in Sheffield in the summer of 1990.
When Riff Raff disbanded an intermediate band was formed called 'Chipko' This band consisted of:-
Janet Woods - Guitar & Vocals
Kev McLaughlin
Dick Skinner
Stuart Smith
Kev McArthur
Keith Mace - Bass Guitar
They had a more 'folky' repertoire but still played some of the Riff Raff 'favourites' During this time another soon-to-be member played a couple of times with the band. He was Si Patterson. Si comes from a musical family - his mother is a jazz singer and his father a jazz saxophonist.
Chipko lasted about 12 months, rehearsing lots, playing a little and entering the Scunthorpe Rock Open.. During this time some members of the band hooked up with a group of Appalachian dancers called 'Appalachian Express'. Stuart Smith was the main mover in this direction and it led the band to experiment with Appalachian and Bluegrass music. Si Patterson joined in with this group and they played mainly at Church and School fetes, open days and Folk Festivals. It was during this time they met up with Dave Mangan - Guitar and Vocals.
Soon after Janet Woods left the band and the rest sat down and decided to return to their roots and began rehearsing Riff Raff type material once again. The line-up now consisted of:-
Kev Mclaughlin
Kev McArthur
Dick Skinner
Stuart Smith
Dave Mangan
Keith Mace
The band had no name but lots of enthusiasm. Accepting a booking at the local Polish Club, the DJ asked the name of the band, but the band had not thought of one. When told that was 'sods law', it was suggested that as it was an Irish Band it was 'Murphys Law'. The DJ announced the band as that and the name stuck!
Before long the band were playing local pubs and clubs. Keith Mace left, and Si Patterson joined full-time. Murphys Law were now playing larger venues, even playing a mini tour of Dublin organised by ex-member Jack Canavan who now lived there.It was there that they played a spot at a local nightclub called Rumours with a band called Wild Fire. Over the next year the band kept in touch with Wild Fire and invited them over to England to play a series of bookings around Scunthorpe including a spot with Murphys Law at Henry Afrikas Night Club in Scunthorpe.
Around this time, due to work commitments Stuart Smith left the band.
In the second part of 1995 Murphys Law began recording at Fairview Studios in Beverley and a CD titled 'No More' was released at Christmas.
In October 1996 Murphys Law were asked to perform at a large bingo hall in Cricklewood, London. Si Patterson was on his honeymoon and therefore unavailable, so Daz Ebbatson, a guitarist who had played with Kev McArthur in a local band called 'Fandango' took his place. The booking went very well and Daz was invited to join as sound man. Over the next few months Daz did the sound and sat at the mixing desk playing electric guitar.Soon afterwards he was invited on stage playing electric guitar full-time.
In that same year Dave Mangans cousin Keith Mangan was one of several people taken hostage in Kashmir. Dave wrote a song called 'Let Em Go' (click here to listen to it!) which Murphys recorded and sold in an attempt to raise funds for the immediate families of all the hostages. To further swell the funds we organised a 'Gigathon' This entailed us playing in more than 50 pubs and clubs around Scunthorpe in a single day starting at 11am and ended at 1:30am the following morning! This venture raised more than £1000. Keiths whereabouts and condition are still unknown.
Si Patterson left the band in 1997 and Daz took over the bass parts temporarily. Several bass players came and went, including for a short time Jenny Mangan - Daves daughter! before Rob Simpson joined the band and Daz could go back to playing the guitar!
Stuart Smith rejoined the band in 1998.
The line up then becoming:
Dave Mangan - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Kev McLaughlin - Vocals, Bodhran
Kev McArthur - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Stuart Smith - Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals
Daz Ebbatson - Electric Guitar, Vocals
Rob Simpson - Bass, Vocals
Dick Skinner, Recorder, Melodian, Bodhran, Vocals
In 2004 a slight 'reshuffle' resulted in Rob Simpson leaving and Dik Skinner only attending occasional gigs due to work commitments.
Dave Mangan
Kev McLaughlin
Kev McArthur
Stuart Smith
Daz Ebbatson
(augmented for electric gigs by former bass player Si Patterson)
Another change in membership resulted in Daz leaving the band and Martin of Carillion joining on Guitar, Banjo and vocals and the overall sound became more acoustic and traditional based once again
Murphy's Xmas gigs are now a regular event featuring various bands and current and former members of the band in numerous combinations!!
This current lineup are now arranging gigs of all sizes for 2009.
Starting out as a 4 piece:-
Jack Canavan - Guitar & vocals
Kev McLaughlin - Vocals & Bodhran
Stuart Smith - Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
Dave Deegan - guitar
It expanded to include:-
Dick Skinner - Melodian, Recorder & Bodhran
Geoff LeVogue - Guitar & Banjo
Phil Green - Bass Guitar
Kev McArthur - drums.
During this time 2 tapes were produced, one recorded live at the Sloop Inn at Barton Upon Humber and the other one, called '100% Proof' was recorded and produced by Terry Wincott of Amazing Blondel at his Scunthorpe Studio.
Riff Raff played all over the country performing in Irish Centres, Clubs, Weddings, Wakes, Folk Festivals and preceded John Peel at the Scunthorpe Baths Hall. They were also booked to support Suzi Quatro at a gig in Hull but Suzi unfortunately backed out! The last booking for Riff Raff was at the World Student Games in Sheffield in the summer of 1990.
When Riff Raff disbanded an intermediate band was formed called 'Chipko' This band consisted of:-
Janet Woods - Guitar & Vocals
Kev McLaughlin
Dick Skinner
Stuart Smith
Kev McArthur
Keith Mace - Bass Guitar
They had a more 'folky' repertoire but still played some of the Riff Raff 'favourites' During this time another soon-to-be member played a couple of times with the band. He was Si Patterson. Si comes from a musical family - his mother is a jazz singer and his father a jazz saxophonist.
Chipko lasted about 12 months, rehearsing lots, playing a little and entering the Scunthorpe Rock Open.. During this time some members of the band hooked up with a group of Appalachian dancers called 'Appalachian Express'. Stuart Smith was the main mover in this direction and it led the band to experiment with Appalachian and Bluegrass music. Si Patterson joined in with this group and they played mainly at Church and School fetes, open days and Folk Festivals. It was during this time they met up with Dave Mangan - Guitar and Vocals.
Soon after Janet Woods left the band and the rest sat down and decided to return to their roots and began rehearsing Riff Raff type material once again. The line-up now consisted of:-
Kev Mclaughlin
Kev McArthur
Dick Skinner
Stuart Smith
Dave Mangan
Keith Mace
The band had no name but lots of enthusiasm. Accepting a booking at the local Polish Club, the DJ asked the name of the band, but the band had not thought of one. When told that was 'sods law', it was suggested that as it was an Irish Band it was 'Murphys Law'. The DJ announced the band as that and the name stuck!
Before long the band were playing local pubs and clubs. Keith Mace left, and Si Patterson joined full-time. Murphys Law were now playing larger venues, even playing a mini tour of Dublin organised by ex-member Jack Canavan who now lived there.It was there that they played a spot at a local nightclub called Rumours with a band called Wild Fire. Over the next year the band kept in touch with Wild Fire and invited them over to England to play a series of bookings around Scunthorpe including a spot with Murphys Law at Henry Afrikas Night Club in Scunthorpe.
Around this time, due to work commitments Stuart Smith left the band.
In the second part of 1995 Murphys Law began recording at Fairview Studios in Beverley and a CD titled 'No More' was released at Christmas.
In October 1996 Murphys Law were asked to perform at a large bingo hall in Cricklewood, London. Si Patterson was on his honeymoon and therefore unavailable, so Daz Ebbatson, a guitarist who had played with Kev McArthur in a local band called 'Fandango' took his place. The booking went very well and Daz was invited to join as sound man. Over the next few months Daz did the sound and sat at the mixing desk playing electric guitar.Soon afterwards he was invited on stage playing electric guitar full-time.
In that same year Dave Mangans cousin Keith Mangan was one of several people taken hostage in Kashmir. Dave wrote a song called 'Let Em Go' (click here to listen to it!) which Murphys recorded and sold in an attempt to raise funds for the immediate families of all the hostages. To further swell the funds we organised a 'Gigathon' This entailed us playing in more than 50 pubs and clubs around Scunthorpe in a single day starting at 11am and ended at 1:30am the following morning! This venture raised more than £1000. Keiths whereabouts and condition are still unknown.
Si Patterson left the band in 1997 and Daz took over the bass parts temporarily. Several bass players came and went, including for a short time Jenny Mangan - Daves daughter! before Rob Simpson joined the band and Daz could go back to playing the guitar!
Stuart Smith rejoined the band in 1998.
The line up then becoming:
Dave Mangan - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Kev McLaughlin - Vocals, Bodhran
Kev McArthur - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Stuart Smith - Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals
Daz Ebbatson - Electric Guitar, Vocals
Rob Simpson - Bass, Vocals
Dick Skinner, Recorder, Melodian, Bodhran, Vocals
In 2004 a slight 'reshuffle' resulted in Rob Simpson leaving and Dik Skinner only attending occasional gigs due to work commitments.
Dave Mangan
Kev McLaughlin
Kev McArthur
Stuart Smith
Daz Ebbatson
(augmented for electric gigs by former bass player Si Patterson)
Another change in membership resulted in Daz leaving the band and Martin of Carillion joining on Guitar, Banjo and vocals and the overall sound became more acoustic and traditional based once again
Murphy's Xmas gigs are now a regular event featuring various bands and current and former members of the band in numerous combinations!!
This current lineup are now arranging gigs of all sizes for 2009.