A KEIGHLEY-based band is to play in their home town to mark ten years since they formed.

Foxes Faux will take to the stage at The Exchange, Keighley, on Saturday September 14 to celebrate a decade of gigging, touring and releasing records.

The band comprises Kurt Wood on vocals, mandolin, guitar and banjo, Will Quinn on vocals, 12-string, guitar and banjo, Ben Snowden on bass and harmonica, drummer and singer Luke Parker and Damian Curran on vocals, guitar and mandolin. Tim Rickaby, who plays bouzouki, guitar, glockenspiel and melodica is normally in the line-up, but is taking a break.

Foxes Faux played their first gig in January 2009 at Victoria Hall in Keighley. Influenced by the acoustic folk-inspired movement of the time, they chose to busk or play acoustically in non-traditional venues such as libraries, gardens and at house parties.

In 2011, they released a single ‘Rioters Queue Here’, which was picked up BBC Introducing and played frequently by BBC Radio York and BBC Radio Leeds.

The following year 2012 saw the release of ‘Isabella’ and ‘Do I Waste My Time?’, singles that were again played by BBC Introducing.

The band then incorporated these singles into the Foxes Faux EP, released in 2013.

Two years later Faux Foxes released their debut album ‘Fox Tales’ with Drawing Board Records. It met with rave reviews from a mixture of folk, punk and country publications.

Mike Harding, on BBC Radio 2, described their song ‘Liars’ as ‘a cracking track and on BBC radio Leeds Alan Raw spoke of them as ‘a rather wonderful band’.

In 2017, Foxes Faux signed to Bomber Music Publishing and released its second album ‘Big Ifs’ at a sold-out release gig.

Focusing on life in their early thirties, ‘Big Ifs’ features music and lyrics that are a mature leap from those found on ‘Fox Tales’.

Moving away from an overtly county and folk sound, it draws

on influence from a more eclectic range of sources such as The Band, Neutral Milk Hotel and Grandaddy whilst still retaining their already established folk rock sound.

One publication described their music as ‘a sound that evokes the Yorkshires moors as the Eagles soundscaped the deserts of the Midwest’.

The band’s Fox Tales tour took them across Europe and Northern Ireland as well as the UK with appearances in cluding Beat-Herder, Bingley Music Live and Leeds First Direct Arena.

After appearing at Manchester Punk Festival in April 2018, the band took a break to start families and write new material. Back in action this year it has appeared at various UK festivals.

They begin recording a third album this year and are re-releasing ‘Big Ifs’ on Leeds label One Step Outside, with a single version and accompanying video for ‘Keep It Together’. . They plan to release a special edition live acoustic album for those who attend their ten-year anniversary gig. “We’re putting on a special night to celebrate the band’s history and to thank everyone who has followed us,” says Ben. “Foxes is a fantastic musical collective, a bunch of misfits who love playing music Every member brings something special.”

* Foxes Faux, with Speed Dinosaurs, The Exchange, Keighley, Saturday September 14. Tickets £5; door price £7; Tickets from eventbrite.co.uk; Musicians Centre, Keighley and Grind and Groove Records, Keighley.

Helen Mead