Julian

                                                                      

Julian had an aunt who was a traditional singer, an uncle who played the fiddle and the musical saw and a great uncle who played the accordion.  Julian was a chorister and was given his first whistle at the age of seven or so.  He acquired his first melodeon as a teenager and bought his first set of bagpipes in 1984.  

 

Always interested in the links between early music, folk music and performance, Julian was drawn to like minded people.  He played in various bands and sessions with members of a group that included his then girlfriend, Fiona, an accomplished singer; Juan Wijngaard, Paul James and Cliff Stapleton, later of ‘Blowzabella’; Alan Lamb and Graham Jenkins, later of ‘The Late Night Band’.  Julian was also a member of the ‘Mountebank Zanies’, Cliff’s anarchic music theatre company. 

 

In 2006 Julian met John Wilshaw at John’s French dance club in Horsley.  They soon began playing together at dances and concerts as the bagpipe and hurdy gurdy duo ‘Dû au Vertige’.   This pairing flourished until John moved to France in 2009.  Julian and Mike formed Venn, initially also a duo, the following year. 

 

Julian is also a painter, exhibiting in the UK and internationally.