CATTLE AND CANE
BBC INTRODUCING STAGE
Introduced by BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway

The six piece from Teeside are  like The Waltons as a band – a band consisting of sisters, brothers, pals and harmonies.  Consisting of  leadsinger/songwriter Joe Hammill (19), Helen Hammill (16) on keyboards, Frank Hammill (29), James Hammill (30), Paul Wilson (20) on drums and Liam Finn (19) on violin the band have only been going since January this year.

Joe: We started in January  just me, my two brothers and my sister. Then Liam, my friend, joined. We’ve all done solo stuff but with a band you get a more full sound. Plus it’s a bit lonely playing solo.’

Helen: ‘Joe does most of the writing. We rehearse in the family home at least twice a day this week – usually once a week plus impromptu sessions. It’s got more serious recently.’

Joe: ‘We played a gig at Music Live in June in Teeside. Since then, we’ve got quite a few gigs. This was BBC Radio Tees’ work as they picked us out.’

Indeed, for such a young band, they sound so old, their songs harmonise so well with strong melodies more in keeping with an earlier era where songwriting was a more tender craft.  Joe names Nick Drake as a big influence and bands based on harmonies like The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beach Boys.

Joe: ‘We’ve got over twenty songs and had a tough time picking the set today.’ In the end, they settled on Belle, This is Where We go From, Spinning Wheel, The Poacher and Sold My Soul.

Helen: ‘We don’t know where this will take us but we would love to do it as a career.’
Joe: ‘We got picked for T in the Park at Music Live. We’ve brought some followers with us and managed to get five backstage passes.’

They are next playing Stockton Festival, Newcastle..  The group named themselves ‘Cattle and Cane’ after the song by 80s band The Go Betweens.
Joe: ‘It’s got lyrics about childhood – a nostalgic view about childhood and quite appropriate as we’re quite young. We’re recording an EP with a local producer.’

As the melodic power of their set ends, one punter from behind yells: See you on the big stage next year!’

He’s not too far off.

‘I recall a bigger brighter world,’ sing the Go Betweens. ‘A world of books and silent times in thought.’