The Retrophones are a full-fat funk band with a line up of ten experienced muscians that include: guitar, vocals (x 3), horns (trumpet x 2 + sax), drums, bass and keys.

 

Guitar – Ralph Smith

Ralph has played in numerous bands and co-wrote and produced Fun Games & Laughter and Lift Up Your Heart with In The Mode Of Men.

 

Lead Vocals – Richie Jeffrey

Vocal sensation Richie joined the Retrophones mission in 2020, with the soul purpose of spreading Funk to all.

 

Vocals – Bev Wright

Bev is an accomplished musician and performer with many years experience in the music industry. She has sung with equal aplomb before audiences of six and six thousand and has covered a wide variety of styles over the years from folk to funk, rock to reggae and pop to blues and jazz. Although she has extensive studio experience and has collaborated  on many original music projects her first love is performing live. Bev has worked in touring bands, events based bands, bands writing their own material and covers bands taking on both lead and backup vocals with the same infectious enthusiasm.

 

Vocals – Claire Harper-Gow

Claire hails from the Provost Johnston Band. She is one of the original members of The Retrophones.

 

Drums – Sam Bidgood

Tight and funky. That’s what Sam is all about. A long standing member of The Retrophones, he keeps that engine chugging along from grand central funk to the end of the line and back.

 

Bass – Angus McGuire

Hailing from Dundee, the land of pies and the Average White Band, Angus covers the low end in the Retrophones.  His bass heroes include Bernard Edwards (Chic), James Jamerson (Motown) and Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone).   Angus has played and recorded in various bands in Edinburgh and has even appeared in music videos (which can now only be found on the Dark Web).   As the years have passed the dream of becoming a world touring bass star has receded further than his hairline but this hole has been amply filled by being bassist of Edinburgh’s hottest funk machine!

 

Keys / Trombone – Scott Krueger

Born into a musical family in Toronto, Canada, Scott trained classically with the Royal Conservatory of Music from the age of 5 to 15. Branching off into the realms of psychedelic jam rock, jazz, funk and southern soul, Scott’s eclectic styles contributed to the unique sounds of bands such as On the Bus and Hedone (which produced the widely acclaimed album Falstaff whilst touring the Canadian university circuit in the 1990s). After a long spell of guest appearances, Scott has settled into a permanent role with The Retrophones. He also performed with the Edinburgh based band “Satellites”.

Saxophone – Kassandra E’Silva

Fresh Smooth Grooves – continuous energy from the multi-talented Kassandra drives the funk all night long.

 

Trumpet – Victoria Arnott

Victoria has played trumpet for longer than her youthful appearance would suggest! After a scandal-free musical career in brass and concert bands, she found the hedonistic lifestyle of The Retrophones too tempting to resist. A member since 2011, Victoria has found her spiritual home in the funk-soul-disco classics of the ’70s.

 

Trumpet – Ruari Wilson

A golden oldie at heart! Ruari is a circus performer – originally with the legendary Chipperfields. Living a tamer life now, he is a member of Scottish Sinfonia, Meadows Chamber Orchestra and the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra.

All of this kept him out of trouble till he met the Retrophones and got into hot water playing fast and loose.

 

Trumpet – Sarah Findlay

Sarah has played trumpet and flugel horn on a regular basis for several years, performing regularly on a freelance basis at many gigs, shows, weddings and corporate events. She plays flugel horn with Kingdom Brass and is a member of the all female New Orleans style band “The Red Hot Rhythm Makers”. Recent appearances include the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival,  Aberdeen Jazz  Festival and Jazz Nights on Radio Scotland. She also works as a brass instructor for Edinburgh and Midlothian Council.