Katzenjammer
Encyclopedia
Worbey & Farrell, are a British
piano musical comedy duo comprising Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell. The word Katzenjammer is German, meaning "discordant sound" and is also sometimes used to indicate a general state of depression or bewilderment. It's sometimes used in reference to a hangover
. The literal translation is "cat's wail" or "the blues." The duo changed its name in February 2011 to Worbey & Farrell.
by Royal College of Music graduates Worbey and Farrell. Their unique performance twist of both playing the same piano at the same time was, in part, due to the simple financial constraints of student life. The luxury of two pianos (and even two piano stools) being beyond their means.
The Katzenjammer act has been compared to Victor Borge
, as the pair often use their own comic compositions as well as parody a wide range of musical styles from The Spice Girls to Ragtime
. A key part of their live show is a projected close-up image of the piano keyboard so the audience can see the tangle of hands and arms during their performance.
Their first recorded performance as Katzenjammer was in 2003 at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Steven Worbey Profile. The duo have played the Royal Opera House, the Royal Festival Hall and Blackpool Grand Theatre and also appear regularly on the QE2 and Queen Mary 2. They have also appeared five times to critical acclaim at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
in 1992, Farrell went on to work on the Emmy award winning show Concerto with Dudley Moore
. He toured with the English National Ballet
and was then commissioned to write the music for the Jiving Lindy Hoppers' jazz ballet, Jungles of the Cities. As a composer he has written a children's ballet The Water Babies and the music for the notorious play The Dead Monkey starring David Soul
. He has also written music for over 80 documentaries and 4 feature films including Death of a Son starring Lynn Redgrave
and Never Play with the Dead. He has regularly appeared on Liberty Radio
, LBC
radio and BBC London
.
between 1990 and 1995 with Phyllis Sellick
and Yonty Solomon. During this time he won a scholarship
to study at Post-graduate level with the pianist Peter Katin
(with whom he performed in a series of piano duet concerts at the Fairfield Halls
, Croydon
). Since graduating, Steven toured extensively throughout the UK giving piano recitals and chamber music concerts. Having always been interested in theatre, Steven has appeared in various theatre and television roles, including When Pigs Fly (Arts Theatre
) and You Couldn't Make it Up (2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe). He is also the voice of Pod in the children's cartoon Pod's Mission for the BBC
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
piano musical comedy duo comprising Steven Worbey and Kevin Farrell. The word Katzenjammer is German, meaning "discordant sound" and is also sometimes used to indicate a general state of depression or bewilderment. It's sometimes used in reference to a hangover
Hangover
A hangover describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the...
. The literal translation is "cat's wail" or "the blues." The duo changed its name in February 2011 to Worbey & Farrell.
History
Katzenjammer was conceived in Summer 2003 over several bottles of ChardonnayChardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
by Royal College of Music graduates Worbey and Farrell. Their unique performance twist of both playing the same piano at the same time was, in part, due to the simple financial constraints of student life. The luxury of two pianos (and even two piano stools) being beyond their means.
The Katzenjammer act has been compared to Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
, as the pair often use their own comic compositions as well as parody a wide range of musical styles from The Spice Girls to Ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
. A key part of their live show is a projected close-up image of the piano keyboard so the audience can see the tangle of hands and arms during their performance.
Their first recorded performance as Katzenjammer was in 2003 at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Steven Worbey Profile. The duo have played the Royal Opera House, the Royal Festival Hall and Blackpool Grand Theatre and also appear regularly on the QE2 and Queen Mary 2. They have also appeared five times to critical acclaim at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Kevin Farrell
After graduating from the Royal College of MusicRoyal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in 1992, Farrell went on to work on the Emmy award winning show Concerto with Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
. He toured with the English National Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
and was then commissioned to write the music for the Jiving Lindy Hoppers' jazz ballet, Jungles of the Cities. As a composer he has written a children's ballet The Water Babies and the music for the notorious play The Dead Monkey starring David Soul
David Soul
David Soul is an American-British actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television programme Starsky and Hutch . He gained British citizenship in 2004.-Early life:...
. He has also written music for over 80 documentaries and 4 feature films including Death of a Son starring Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
and Never Play with the Dead. He has regularly appeared on Liberty Radio
Liberty Radio
Liberty Radio is a UK radio broadcaster and company based in London, England that, , broadcasts on satellite and the Internet, but not terrestrial radio or DAB. The company started as Viva 963, broadcasting on terrestrial radio, predominantly for women, and was later renamed...
, LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
radio and BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
.
Steven Worbey
Worbey studied piano performance at the Royal College of MusicRoyal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
between 1990 and 1995 with Phyllis Sellick
Phyllis Sellick
Phyllis Sellick, OBE was a British pianist and teacher, best known for her partnership with her pianist husband Cyril Smith.-Biography:...
and Yonty Solomon. During this time he won a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to study at Post-graduate level with the pianist Peter Katin
Peter Katin
Peter Roy Katin is a British pianist.-Biography:He attended Whitgift School in South Croydon and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 12, four years younger than the official entry age, where he studied under Harold Craxton...
(with whom he performed in a series of piano duet concerts at the Fairfield Halls
Fairfield Halls
Fairfield Hall is an arts centre in Croydon, London, England and opened in 1962. It contains a concert hall, the Ashcroft Theatre , the Arnhem Gallery civic hall and an art gallery....
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
). Since graduating, Steven toured extensively throughout the UK giving piano recitals and chamber music concerts. Having always been interested in theatre, Steven has appeared in various theatre and television roles, including When Pigs Fly (Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
) and You Couldn't Make it Up (2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe). He is also the voice of Pod in the children's cartoon Pod's Mission for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Trivia
- Farrell & Worbey have a pet dog named Margaret, who featured in a silent-movie parody called Margaret come home shown during some of their theatre performances in 2006. In March 2011, they were devastated to announce the death of their pet hamster, Hortense, who fell asleep at the wheel.
- Katzenjammer is the surname of Tamsin GreigTamsin GreigTamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
's character "Fran" in the British sitcom Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
that ran on Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK for three seasons between 2000 and 2004. - Californian Stoner rockStoner rockStoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
band KyussKyussKyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
were originally called Katzenjammer before changing their name to Sons of Kyuss and then again to KyussKyussKyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
. The band also have a song named Katzenjammer.
External links
- Katzenjammer Official Katzenjammer website
- SB Management Katzenjammer's exclusive management company website