The Punch House Band

Locally sourced folk tales of blood and bone…

Robust folk music with an East Anglian twist…

Eastern Gothic folk, featuring original and traditional songs about East Anglia by this dynamic Norwich-based group. Expect high energy, laughter, ghost tales, and maybe a sing-a-long…

Punch House Band are a rather good folk and originals music group based in Norwich, Norfolk, with a repertoire that includes songs about East Anglia. Formed in 2016, they play an energetic mixture of some folk standards and mostly original material with a focus on songs and stories from Norfolk and the East that they call Songs from the Big Sky. Their set is characterised by quality musicianship, strong vocal harmonies, songs about places you know, and a commitment to putting on a show.

Bandleader Tim Lane explains the name:

On Norwich market there was a pub in the 19th century called the Punch House. Not there any more. I thought it would be good to call it after that. We like playing in pubs (we like playing anywhere and everywhere), there are some drinking songs in the set, and there’s a little bit of edgy energy to the music, and it’s a nod to the local area where we take our inspiration from—so Punch House kind of fits all ways round…

The original core of the Punch House Band, Leighton Melville (lead vocal), Richard Brook (banjo and vocal) and Lane (guitar and vocal), got together when they were the cast of Norwich theatre group Crude Apache’s 2015 touring show Singing The Postman. The play, which told the story of Allan Smethurst, Norfolk’s legendary Singing Postman, featured the three of them playing the roles of Smethurst impersonators and had them performing his songs to highly appreciative audiences. Once the show was over they decided to continue as a band.

(The band have maintained the theatre connection, providing the live music for Crude Apache’s 2018 summer touring show, At the Turning of the Tide, as well as its sold-out 2020 revival at the Maddermarket Theatre. The collaboration has continued with Punch House providing original songs and musical entertainment for Crude Apache’s 2022 summer tour of We Will Stand, and playing in their 2024 Maddermarket show, Singing the Fishing.)

We Will Stand theatre production, 2022. Photo: Bert Eke

Having invited George McKay (double bass) and Jason Thompson (percussion) to join, the band made its debut at the 2016 Norwich Beer Festival in St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich. The combination of the theatre background and the diverse musical histories of the new musicians (McKay’s background being jazz, Thompson’s rock), means the band sound is hard-hitting, meticulously arranged and highly entertaining. And in Leighton Melville they have a charismatic frontman, who also happens to have a great voice. Read the testimonials from those who have already booked and re-booked them, and from their growing following. Funny, too.

St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, 2019, before encore. Photo: band selfie

Some highlight gigs

• Singing the Fishing (2024): a week of shows at the historic Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich, providing the music for Crude Apache Theatre Co’s stage adaptation of the 1962 BBC radio ballad by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
• We Will Stand (2022): the band provided original songs and musical backing for open-air touring production across Norfolk, 8 shows, 150-200 audience per show.
• Head Out Not Home street arts festival (2019, 2021): Riverside, Norwich city centre Thursday evenings/Sunday afternoons summer live shows.
• Norfolk and Norwich Festival (2019): Chapelfield Gardens marquee, local artists stage.
• At the Turning of the Tide (2018, 2020): the band for original musical theatre open-air touring production, 12 shows, 100-250 audience per show. Then revived for a sell-out week at the Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich.
• Norwich Beer Festival (2016-2019): St Andrew’s Hall Norwich, main stage, 800+ audience, all singing along to ‘Hev you got a loight boy?’

More …

As you can see in many of the photos, the band usually dress in dark waistcoats and light shirts, some topped with hats, praps a splash of colour from a kerchief. A simple but striking visual style that somebody at a gig once memorably described as ‘the dark side of the Mumfords’ (Punch House say who?). They prefer Eastern Gothic, or possibly North Sea cod-Gothic,  with a splash of music hall steampunk Victoriana. If it’s a Hallowe’en gig, someone will be wearing make-up.

In fact there is a quite a bit of gothic, and folk-blues fairy tale and horror in some of the songs, like a Norfolk murder ballad, a prison song, a ‘Babes in the Wood’ story song in its original Norfolk setting, others like ‘Bedlam boys’ and ‘Hog-eye man’ that sort of tell you what they are about in their titles.

The Punch House Band usually play with light amplification, and have their own PA and mics when there isn’t in-house sound equipment. The band turn up, set up, play two 45-60-minute sets, pack away again. The band can also play acoustically, for instance at an intimate garden party or a small gig—the summer 2018 and 2022 theatre tours were entirely acoustic, and in the open air. To book the Punch House Band go to this page.

In 2019, the band released their first CD, an EP containing six tracks, called Songs From the Big Sky. You can buy it at gigs, or if you’re interested in booking the band, you can get a complimentary copy from manager Jo Edye. Read more about Songs From the Big Sky here. In 2024 we plan to go back in the studio to record a new album.

Elsewhere on the website there are videos and recordings, bios and publicity photos of the band, stories about songs, information about upcoming gigs, occasional blogs and more. For social media updates about gigs etc, if you are so inclined you can follow the Punch House Band on FaceBook here, and Twitter @PunchHouseBand. The FaceBook and Twitter feeds elsewhere on this page offer current & tempting snapshots of the truly quite fascinating & exciting stuff they post.

Main website header photo above, and official band portraits, by Al Pulford, with thanks.