WOKING-based band Charley Farley Sunday Four have just returned from a successful sell-out stint with Pub Landlord stand-up comedian Al Murray at London’s Southbank, Latitude and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
The five brothers were an integral part of Al’s Saloon Show featuring variety turns including stand-up, music, circus, comedy and dance acts drawn from the comic’s favourite acts.
As well as providing entertainment while the audience arrived and settled, the Farleys were a fundamental part of Al Murray’s show, providing musical backing to many of the comedic moments including a chat-up masterclass, the future of Scottish folk music, and a trial-by-combat solution to Scotland’s independence vote.
“We first played with Al last year,” explained Farley funny-man Jay – “Where it was all a bit experimental and was mostly about finding our feet. This year was much more of a collaborative effort with band members suggesting lyrics and musical punchlines which were incorporated into the show.
“We’ve gone from a music-comedy-music sandwich to a much more integrated show.”
Wind-player Bruce Farley took up the challenge of learning to play the bagpipes for the Edinburgh shows in order to pull off a punchline for Al’s vision of Scotland’s independent future.
“It was much more of a challenge than I was expecting” he confides. “The first show was nerve racking but we pulled it off. The audience was in stitches!”
The brothers’ performance at the Edinburgh Saloon Show caught the attention of the Fosters’ Comedy Awards organisers who booked them for their prestigious awards ceremony on the festival’s final weekend.