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FiddleBopper Paul Midgley

Percussionist Paul Midgley, now with FiddleBop Paul Midgley, surrounded by drums. The way he likes it. And what's that in his mouth? Could it be a 'junk flute'?

OK, we're not banging our drum (ho ho!) but FiddleBop has just acquired a brilliant new musician!

This newest member of FiddleBop is Paul Midgley, and he's on percussion. And he ain't 'arf[1] good Smiley He also plays "junk flute" (really!), and he sings too.

Multi-percussionist Paul has more things that you can tap (or beat, or knock, or just plain bash) than you can shake a stick at. He can play them all — and he often does, but not at all the same time — expertly, and with huge verve and vigor. And his masterful rhythms don't 'arf[2] get FiddleBop motoring!

As the song goes, "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing". And FiddleBop's music swings more than ever, for sure, now that Paul has joined us.

Paul also plays various tuned percussion things (such as thumb piano), and what he calls "junk flute". This is actually a species of overtone flute made by Paul from PVC drainpipe, then hooked up to some electronic wizardry. Out of this unlikely-sounding setup, he can conjure all manner of mysterious and evocative ambient sounds, adding yet more variety to FiddleBop's aural palette.

This time, Paul Midgley has his "junk flute" with him (really!)

What's that? You can't wait to hear what all this sounds like? You'll need to be patient for a while (not long). Then come to a FiddleBop gig.

And where is the point of origin of this paragon of percussive power, this jewel of junk-flute jollity? Well, Paul came to Wales via Basingstoke and Bristol, playing in venues of all sizes, from village halls to the Royal Festival Hall. During this musical journey, he has been associated with (amongst others):

If you're astute (more astute than me, anyway) then you will note that several of these relate to music education, which is very important to Paul. Since 1995, he has headed DrumRunners which runs highly-rated workshops for "Drumming, song writing, singing, and other creative options". These take place in a wide range of settings, from schools to festivals (including one just before the Frazz Parade at Brecon Jazz Festival 2024). Paul is a busy man...

Thanks for joining us, Paul! This is gonna be fun!

  1. Written by Dave, whilst he was pretending to be a Cockney. ↩
  2. More of the same, by Dave. Yawn. ↩
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