Just over ten years ago, a new band with a new sound burst onto the roots scene. Back then, the band were known as Edward II & The Red Hot Polkas, the sound dub folk. And whilst the band's name may have got shorter, the sound has gone from strength to strength.

Since those early days, the band have built themselves up a strong reputation as one of the best live acts on the circuit. Many a dance and festival has been fuelled by the heady mix of English folk music and Caribbean dance rhythms, with just a soup son of African guitar thrown in for good measure.

Part of the reason for the on going success of the band is that they have over the years taken more and more control of their destiny. Forming their own label, Zest, has given the band a chance to follow whatever direction moves their heart.

Unlike a lot of really hot live bands, Edward II have managed to capture their sound onto the record medium and subsequently released a number of well received albums.

As well as playing their own numbers, Edward II also manage to impart their signature onto traditional folk standards, breathing new life into tunes that might otherwise remain known only to a folk elite. By doing so, the band are keeping the music alive and who knows, introducing it to an artist that might be ready to take it onto the next incantation.

If the sun's shining and the temperature is rising, this is the band that's going to power the mercury right out of the thermometer, and even if it's damp and overcast, this band'll make sure everyone in the tent is going to get a little hot and sweaty.

The Gallery