The Bad Shepherds are a British folk band formed by the comedian Adrian Edmondson in 2008. They play punk songs with traditional folk instruments. The band primarily consists of Edmondson (vocals, mandolins, mandola), Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, cittern, whistles, vocals) and Andy Dinan (fiddle).
The Bad Shepherds play punk songs on folk instruments. Not as a joke, but because they really like the noise. They think the songs are better than people remember. They love folk instruments. It works. They do songs by The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers The Jam, Sham 69, The Undertones, Talking Heads, Squeeze and others, even Kraftwerk! Alright, they're not all punk, but they come from roughly the same era. The songs are mostly given a kind of Celtic feel, with the odd reel and jig stuck here and there. But occassionally they just thrash! They've always thought the excitement of a reel taking off is the nearest thing to the excitement of watching punk live in the 70s!
Other musicians recording and appearing with the Bad Shapherds include Carol Dawson (fiddle), Eimear Bradley (fiddle), Keith Angel (percussion), Mark Woolley (percussion), Martin Allcock (bass), Brad Lang (bass) and Tim Harries (bass).
Their albums include:
Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera! (2008)
By Hook or By Crook (2010)