Harlequin
Acoustic / Alternative / Blues

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Last Updated: 30 Jun 2007
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The Band

Frances Rayner - piano, violin, vocals
John Bacon - guitar, trumpet, vocals
Tommy Hunter - drums & percussion

About us


John and Fran are brother and sister. They have been playing music from an early age, Fran starting on the piano at age 4 and John on the trumpet at age 11. Growing up in Northallerton, North Yorkshire they had a lot of time to dedicate to joining school orchestras and having access to good local music services and teachers (luckily!). Fran also began learning the violin from an early age and John picked up the guitar at 13. Learning songs by the Beatles and Oasis was John's passion, whereas Fran excelled at classical piano, playing pieces by Beethoven and modern composers such as Eric Satie and Michael Nyman. John and Tommy met doing GCSE French at Northallerton College, and soon became friends through playing music together in the school concert band and jazz band. Tommy could always be relied on to hold down a solid, driving rhythm and play some complex drumming that would often leave us aghasp at parties and local band nights. Together with the now flourishing songwriter Ali Whitton, John formed the band Cocoa, with Tommy on drums and Jenny Thompson, a fellow schoolfriend recommended by Ali to play bass. They would impress audiences at gigs with their stage presence and catchy tunes, Ali's lyrics adding a poignancy and quality to the songs that set them apart from the other Indie bands. After leaving school John and Tommy embarked on gap years and went their separate ways, on to adventure and discovery in various continents, meanwhile Ali began his solo career. John has developed his own collection of songs in the past few years, with rhythms strongly influenced by his time in Africa and India. Songs which are now lifted by Fran's poignant piano and Tommy's passionate drumming. Recently adding violin and trumpet to the songs has created a more unique sound. John and Fran now live in Leeds, John studying to be a Primary School teacher and Fran working for Leeds children's services. Tommy is finishing his engineering degree in Durham. We are all keen to continue the music if time and recording/gig opportunities allow, and look forward to the next time we play and record together.




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