Mabon was formed from two families in 1999, playing homespun arrangements of Welsh folk dance tunes in the pubs and 'twmpath' dances of their native South Wales.

Cut to Lorient, in Brittany, France – home of the gargantuan and internationally renowned ‘Festival Interceltique’. Every summer for a decade, in the early stages of their gestation, the band performed prolifically in the fringe here, and their growing prowess and skills became a legend in the ‘off-festival’ bars and cafes over the years.

It was a thrilling and brutal training ground in equal measure, where non-stop hard work, abundant hasty set-ups, fierce competition and, of course, relentless performing helped hone their individual ability, and define the band's musical identity.

All the while, Jamie was soaking up musical styles from the Celtic diasporas and, combining all these elements, grew into a serial tunesmith and eminent instrumentalist.

Their repertoire moved more and more towards Jamie's original tunes, and from the launchpad of Lorient, they went far and wide during the next ten years – collecting as they went a growing and fiercely loyal fanbase (as well as a fantastic collection of stories, from shows in surreal circumstances and unusual situations!).

Mabon's reputation grew from outside the UK at first – with performances across three continents and in front of huge festival crowds – until 2009 when the band’s first major tour across the UK, and their 2010 ‘Live at the Grand Pavilion’ album, shot them into a different orbit of recognition. As fROOTS wrote: "Being a bit slow on the uptake, I have only just managed to see them play live. Now I get it. This seems to be a default position for most".

The last ten years has seen the band climb a steady path to global recognition; some opportune and mighty live shows and festivals enabled the band to showcase their pedigree – and audiences were stunned and confused as to where a band with so much ‘chutzpah’ could have appeared from, without ever being heralded in the way that the media like to announce the future of up and coming bands.

A change of name; some personnel changes; a string of tours; more festivals and more albums; these things all continued to sharpen the band's abilities and evolve their playful style. Awards appeared, ever more distant shores were reached – the band is burning brighter and more vibrantly than ever before. No flagrant media hyping, no fast-track to success, just a band of talented companions who make friends with audiences at every show they play, and seemingly never let them go.

But as all good things do, they change and morph, and so it is with this happy band of mates. 2020/21 will see the band perform their last shows, both venue and festival, before turning to new pastures, putting on slippers, raising the pipe and following different paths. No 'musical differences' here, just a need to move on and try different things - of which i'm sure members will be only too happy to let you know about as the time comes.
Its been a remarkable 22 years, and all the more unusual because it has seen the band rise to the forefront of live music shows across the world - but without the normal backup of huge record company input, media storms and any form of musical compromise!
Enjoy the last months of this amazing band and catch them at one of the shows in 2021!

And so the path the band has followed finished on the 30th October 2021, in a sold out show in North Wales.

The band has retired, (with no current plans to reconnect- but, as in all things- this may change one day) and are now set on completing or re jigging their own personal lives to accommodate the new landscape born by the band's demise and all the complications Covid has wrought.

Thankyou to ALL and every promoter, friend, supporter and family member who has followed and helped throughout the course of the bands progression - without you this would have been a hapless adventure with a different outcome. The band had , to a man, so enjoyed the times spent together, and will remain good friends into the future, thankyou and
Goodbye!



Albums to date :
Lumps of Mabon (2001)
Ridiculous Thinkers (2004)
OK Pewter (2007)
Live at the Grand Pavilion (2010)
Windblown (2012)
The Space Between (2015)
Twenty (2018)

Jamie - The Starting Point

Jamie's compositions make up the vast majority of the band's repertoire: thus, he is the starting point for much of what we do. He plays the accordion in the band and sings lead vocals too.

Being the primary creative force and MD in a band like this one is no joke: he needs to produce a steady stream of material to feed to the band and its audiences; he needs to be forthright enough to call a pretty cheeky bunch of musicians to order; and then he has to tread the fine line when things go well, between being genuinely pleased and seeming overly smug.

Seeing as the first ideas are usually Jamie's, he also gets the last word when musical opinions collide - someone has to, especially in a group where everyone else has a wealth of influence, imagination and ingenuity to offer too. Happily, his last word is usually pretty astute.

A lover of music from across a wide range of genres, Jamie has a particular soft spot for folk after (or perhaps despite) a childhood of trailing around music and dance festivals with his parents.

While his peers engaged in more conventional teenage pursuits in their darkened bedrooms, Jamie vented the early portion of his existential angst on an accordion: not with a knife, but teaching himself to play one, largely by means of listening to and emulating the tunes and techniques of Sharon Shannon, Michael McGoldrick, Shooglenifty, Lunasa and many others. Happily, he had enough existential angst left over to sustain a career as a musician later on.

When he, his father Derek, and two brothers Gareth and iolo Whelan began to play as an acoustic folk quartet in 1999 (behold, Mabon is born!), he unknowingly set out on a long, steady journey which expanded his instrumental, compositional, personal and performance skills to the level you see today. He continues to strive for an unattainable perfection, and can be just as cross with himself as with any of the other band members if a particular performance is not up to scratch.

Brought up in Bridgend, living for a while in Risca, he was never destined to stay in Wales having married a Manx lass - and sure enough, he now lives happily on the Isle of Man with his wife Grainne and their two young children. Island life is a double-edged sword: while there is a great cultural heritage there (aka lots of tunes and good craic!) and a huge beach for their kids to run around on, he now spends even more of his life than before explaining to check-in staff what an accordion is, and why no, it really can't go in the hold.

Making a living from playing folk music on an accordion is not a normal thing, and it involves having eggs in a few baskets. So as well as his long commitment to Mabon, Jamie works solo and in a duo performing in schools, old folks' homes and hospitals, and also plays in the acoustic trio 'Alaw', playing Welsh music with our very own fiddler Oli and long-time Mabon collaborator Dylan Fowler on guitar. This way he gets to have his cake and eat it: he can stretch out his trad credentials in the purity of the acoustic setting; and immerse himself in a more muscular way in the breadth and power of the full band sound.

All musicians need other interests too, and as well as books and films, current affairs and technology, Jamie has a real passion for eating good food. If you had married Grainne, so would you.

Oli - The Icing

If you've got a really good cake, you don't need icing. But if you've got a really good cake, AND icing...

Enter Oliver Wilson-Dickson, who shares the footlights with Jamie and coats Mabon's performances with copious flair, grace and style. Oli plays the fiddle, and sings backing vocals too: though maybe the term 'fiddle' doesn't quite do justice to the breadth of his playing ability.

Able to read Jamie's playing like the back of a soup carton and match his fiddle sound to the subtlest nuances of the accordion, he finds his space in the music, weaving between crisp unison tune-playing and tight harmonies, between open textural sounds and soaring improvised lines.

It is surely a cruelty to your mother to be born with a fiddle in your hand, but Oli came pretty close. Despite also being able to get a tidy tune out of a whole bunch of other instruments (and we won't even mention some serious circus skills!), he was put on this planet to play fiddle, and he radiates when it's in his hand.

He recalls as a child being constantly immersed in music: his parents play (and how!), his siblings play, his whole family oozes music and Oli could not resist the calling.

His passion for folk music reaches out both east and west from the Celtic field: he loves country music, swing, balkan tunes, Russian melodies... whatever means by which he can express his passion.

A musical slapper, Oli shares his copious creative talents amongst several groups: he works extensively with a theatre company which he co-established, 'The Devil's Violin Company'; he plays with the acoustic Welsh music trio 'Alaw', with Jamie on accordion and also Oli's stepfather and sublime guitarist, Dylan Fowler; he works on Welsh TV; he's a busy fella! (Thus, he is very occasionally replaced by another fiddler in certain Mabon concerts - that'll be because someone else has nabbed him sooner than we could!)

Having been brought up outside Cardiff, Oli has put down strong roots in the Monmouthshire area, and now lives in the borders with his wife Rachel, their two lovely boys and their dog, all of whom he adores openly - and we do consider that to be a fine quality in a man!

As well as his music and his family, his other interests mean he can talk at length about gadgets, technology and automobiles - and like everyone else in the band, he is a proper food fan. Oh, did we mention the circus skills?

A lady at a concert some years ago, when we were playing a totally instrumental repertoire, asked us why we didn't sing. Her friend turned to her and answered: "they don't need to sing. They've got Oliver, he makes his fiddle sing".

These days we've got Oli, AND we sing.
Cake. Icing.
Cherry on top.
On a unicycle if you like.

Paul

It takes a particular set of skills to be the balance point between an acoustic, melodic front-line and an electric, groove-based rhythm section: Paul Rogers is the man for that job. He is Mabon's newest member, having stepped into the band with his acoustic guitar in 2016.

Paul's interests and experience make him a great fit for the band, on and off the stage. His original musical specialism was the lute - no, really - but he got hip to trad whilst studying music at Bangor university in north Wales, and made the fiddle his main (but far from only!) instrument. In fact, if it's got strings, there's a decent chance Paul can play it; or at least tell you about it in any one of five languages.

Never take a guitarist at face value - this one will project the full acoustic charm, but he has leanings towards the dark side, and deep down he can barely keep from putting his foot up on the monitor... So, trad credentials intact, you'll see him execute some nifty tune-playing and melodic runs in a Mabon gig, marrying them to Jamie and Oli's lines; then when the moment calls, you will behold the inner rock god break forth, and witness the panic amongst the Folk Police as he steps on his pedals and makes the speakers wail!

As well as the musical factors, Paul slots rather effortlessly into the band's ethos too - like Jamie, he is a Welshman who lives on the Isle of Man; like all the lads, his musical tastes roam free beyond the confines of Celtic music; he has a great love of language - his passion for the Welsh language was kindled by ancient myth, and he has taken Manx Gaelic to his heart in a big way too; and he is a huge fan of fantasy literature, so you'll quite often see him buried in a weighty tome or wired up to his audio book - or both, at times!

In fact, he fits in so well that since his second gig, most new fans, keen journalists and stage managers have approached Paul first if they want any accurate information or a sensible answer. It must be an air of intelligent authority he carries - which suits the rest of the band brilliantly, as they can get on with the serious business of lying down, drinking coffee, playing with equipment, and all the other time-honoured pursuits of the working musician.

Matt - The Groover.

Playing bass creatively and in good taste in a Celtic music band is a tough gig. Specialising in an instrument some people don't even notice is a tough gig. Looking sharper than a waistcoat-toting front line is a tough gig. Matthew Downer is up to the task: he plays bass guitar and electric upright bass and is also the band's most flamboyant dresser.

When his parents named him Matthew, they could surely have had no inkling that his moniker would rhyme with his favourite apparel: Matt "the Hat" Downer is too irresistible a nickname. Even "Matt the Spats" nearly rhymes, though "Matt the Ruffles" is clearly taking it too far.

Matt joined the band in 2007, taking up the reins from the band's original bass player, Jason Rogers. He met iolo while they were both studying jazz at the Welsh conservatoire, and was inexorably drawn into the band, seemingly to his great delight.

His versatility has been carefully cultured and is no natural accident: it means he can draw from any source and influence to support the music in the best way he can. He enjoys the fruits of his labours, and a review comparing his playing to "the more lyrical moments of Jaco Pastorius" was as close as most bands come to seeing their bass player cry.

Such is Matt's worth in low-frequency gold, and so prolific his portfolio of bands, there appeared to be a real danger of his being permanently poached one day by successful musicians in better-paid genres. This threat was neatly resolved however when Matt met his future wife Jen Ord at a Mabon gig, thus (in our humble opinions) indebting him to this band for life. They're happy, we're happy - everyone's a winner!

The pair live in Risca now, happily surrounded by an increasing number of bonny wee children - but Matt's spiritual home is probably Nashville, where the bass-slapping gods of rockabilly reside on high.

Originally though, he comes from a farming background in West Wales, and his rustic roots left a thread in his personality which binds him further to the band with an unexpected but fundamental connection: yes, Matt is a proper foodie too. Good result.

Iolo - The Quiet One.

iolo Whelan plays drums and percussion in the band, and very occasionally sings backing vocals. So how on earth can you introduce the band's drummer as the quiet one? Well, he fits the counter-intuitive theory about shy people gravitating towards the drums as a form of expressing themselves: he is compelled to make loud noise to survive, and starts to go slightly mad if he goes too long without playing.

One of the band's original members, he was 24 when Mabon formed in 1999, and played acoustic percussion. During Mabon's 20-year development, he moved towards the drum-kit as the main tool of choice, and also accidentally entered his forties.

Not being at all impressed with being the oldest and squidgiest member of the band, he is forced to keep his youthful good looks by means of clean living, eating salads and shunning hard drink. The most consistent exception to this rule is his addiction to cheese, which is the surest way to entice him from the straight and narrow these days.

Having been taught classical percussion as a boy, and drifted into a professional music career in his twenties, iolo decided he should learn to play his primary instrument properly, and opted to study a post-grad conservatoire course in jazz performance. This formative experience, which he cites as terrifying and exhilarating in equal measures, better equipped him for the subtleties of playing the drums on a Mabon gig.

His constant aim and favourite challenge is to accompany, and he often doubts whether he is a proper drummer at all - he can sing you the lyrics, guitar solos and horn parts from most of the songs he's ever heard, but often has no idea how their drum parts go. He's learning them all gradually, mainly by teaching them to his students: he is a keen and devoted drum tutor and has about forty students with whom he delights in sharing the constant wonder of music. Occasionally, he remembers to teach them some beats and stuff too.

The few hours a week when he is neither teaching nor playing, iolo is lucky enough to have a home in the Rhondda full of his loving family: his wife Rachel, whom he met on the Isle of Man at the tender age of seventeen, and dragged over to Wales many years later when he could grow a beard; his ten-year-old daughter, who generously but mistakenly thinks he's the funniest person in the world; and a jack russell terrier with an over-developed work ethic. He claims this three-girl team is what keeps him busy, grounded, laughing and sane.

He has a passion for the environment too, and has built several low-impact dwellings, one of which he considers to be one of the most beautiful things he's seen, apart from the aforementioned family members.

If you catch a Mabon gig sometime, iolo will be floating around as soon as he can afterwards, chatting to folks and meeting friends old and new. If he is indeed socially inept as he claims to be, then evidently a load of adrenaline and a good talking point go a long way towards covering that: the only problem then is to get him to stop talking.

Let's face it, they're funny creatures, drummers - ours is no exception.