The Undercover Hippy

Billy Rowan, aka The Undercover Hippy, is not your average singer songwriter. His music brings together acoustic guitar, soulful vocals, infectious reggae rhythms, and the lyrical delivery of a skilled mc. After 7 years spent DJ’ing and MC’ing on the Drum & Bass circuit, Billy swapped the decks for a guitar and started out as a solo act in 2007. Although still occasionally does solo gigs, he now usually plays with a full band, mixing guitars, keys, drums, bass, percussion and backing vocals to create a high energy, interactive and highly entertaining live show. Combining intelligent, provocative lyrics with dangerously catchy hooks and a feel good groove, this is music for the thinking man to shake his arse to. Think Jason Mraz meets The Cat Empire…on a protest march…at the Edinburgh Fringe

The band have performed at some of the UK’s best festivals, including Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Green Man, The Secret Garden Party, Sunrise Celebration, Ireland’s Electric Picnic, and many more. After starting out playing solo, Billy now has a Bristol based 5 piece band consisting of Jack Beddis on drums, Zak Ranyard on bass, Andreas Millns on keys, and Mathew Pharaoh on Congas. 2015 was an epic year for the band, with a jam packed summer of festival appearances and shows across the UK and Europe. Highlights included headlining alongside The Cat Empire, Grandmaster Flash and The Skints at Eden Festival in Scotland, playing to 1000’s of festival goers at Buskers Bern in Austria, and making a much anticipated debut appearance to a packed audience at Boomtown Fair near Winchester. 2016 has been the bands busiest year yet, with 2 tours, and numerous festivals across the UK and Europe.

Their current tour hopes to promote their crowdfunding campaign for the follow-up to their 2014 album “Monkey Suit” find out more here: www.undercoverhippy.com/riseandfall