Four Poofs and a Piano
Encyclopedia
4 Poofs and a Piano are a British
-Australia
n covers band formed in 2000. They were the house band
on the BBC One
chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
throughout the show's run from 2001 to 2010. As the name suggests, they are four gay
men who sing to piano accompaniment
.
. Since then, they have also performed at many corporate events, as well as Pride events
and music festival
s – including the Edinburgh Festival
, Perth Festival, the Brighton Festival Fringe
and Glastonbury Festival
.
In 2008, the band featured as the house band on Britain's Got More Talent, and appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
.
In 2009, the band featured in The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
, in a spoof Ross Kemp on Gangs
episode, with Culshaw
pretending to be Ross Kemp
and Jonathan Ross
.
introduced the band each Friday night with an innuendo-laden joke directed at homosexuality, or the supposed sex lives of gay men. As each guest moved from the green room
to the studio, the band played a cover version of a song related to the guest or their field of work. Their camp
performance was often highly exaggerated in its stereotypical cabaret
manner.
Each week a guest was singled out for special attention by the band who wore specially printed t-shirts featuring the guest's face. This was usually a privilege bestowed upon the guest most deemed a cult figure or gay icon.
In an October 2009 episode of the show with Tim Minchin
as a guest, he performed a song called "5 Poofs and 2 Pianos", in which he humorously suggested he join the quartet with his own piano.
They have been signed to the new flagship ITV breakfast show Daybreak
, singing a comedic interpretation of the news every Friday.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n covers band formed in 2000. They were the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
on the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
throughout the show's run from 2001 to 2010. As the name suggests, they are four gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men who sing to piano accompaniment
Accompaniment
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
.
History
The band performed their first gig at the Groucho ClubGroucho Club
The Groucho Club is a well-known private social club located at Dean Street in Soho, London. Its members are mostly drawn from the media, entertainment, arts and fashion industries....
. Since then, they have also performed at many corporate events, as well as Pride events
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
and music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s – including the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, Perth Festival, the Brighton Festival Fringe
Brighton Festival Fringe
The Brighton Festival Fringe is an open access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England.- Introduction :...
and Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
.
In 2008, the band featured as the house band on Britain's Got More Talent, and appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
.
In 2009, the band featured in The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson is a British comedy sketch show which stars impressionists Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson. A second series was broadcast between 14 November 2010 - 23 December 2010 and a third series started on the 26 October 2011 at 8.30pm on BBC One...
, in a spoof Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs
Ross Kemp on Gangs is a BAFTA award-winning documentary series shown on Sky1 and later repeated on Sky3. On 20 May 2007 the series won a BAFTA award for best factual series...
episode, with Culshaw
Jon Culshaw
Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....
pretending to be Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
and Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
RossJonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
introduced the band each Friday night with an innuendo-laden joke directed at homosexuality, or the supposed sex lives of gay men. As each guest moved from the green room
Green room
In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
to the studio, the band played a cover version of a song related to the guest or their field of work. Their camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
performance was often highly exaggerated in its stereotypical cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
manner.
Each week a guest was singled out for special attention by the band who wore specially printed t-shirts featuring the guest's face. This was usually a privilege bestowed upon the guest most deemed a cult figure or gay icon.
In an October 2009 episode of the show with Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin
Timothy David "Tim" Minchin is a British-Australian comedian, actor, and musician.Tim Minchin is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in six CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television in Australia,...
as a guest, he performed a song called "5 Poofs and 2 Pianos", in which he humorously suggested he join the quartet with his own piano.
They have been signed to the new flagship ITV breakfast show Daybreak
Daybreak (ITV)
Daybreak is the weekday breakfast television programme on the British commercial ITV network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway on Fridays...
, singing a comedic interpretation of the news every Friday.
Band members
- David Roper – PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - David Wickenden – Vocals
- Ian Parkin – Vocals
- Stephen de Martin – Vocals