Fatback Band return for UK summer tour

Bill Curtis is set to bring the Fatback Band funk back to the UK this summer.

Are you ready to do the bus stop? Bill Curtis and the Fatback Band certainly are, as they embark on a UK tour this summer. The legendary funk outfit are set to perform across the nation, playing dates in London, Newcastle, Northampton, Bristol and Bournemouth in the next couple of weeks.

Famous for hits such as ‘(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop’, ‘Spanish Hustle’ and UK-mega-hit ‘I Found Lovin’’, the Fatback Band were one of the true innovative bands in funk and soul in the 1970s. Founded in New York City by Bill Curtis, the band would develop their own brand of street-funk that incorporated elements of jazz, soul and R&B. The band carved out early funk hits like before incorporating disco-orientated sounds into their recordings, releasing such infectious grooves as ‘Yum Yum (Gimme Some)’, ‘Keep On Stepping‘’, and ‘Backstroking’.

In 1979 the group released the first ever rap single ‘King Tim III (Personality Jock)’. The single was released just a few months before the Sugarhill Gang released their classic rap-anthem ‘Rappers Delight‘. Then five years later, with the demise of disco, the group embraced what would become known as eighties groove, releasing ‘I Found Lovin’, which would chart three times in the UK in the space of three years (helped in part thanks to Steve Walsh’s cover).

Today the band continue to perform worldwide with Bill Curtis still at the helm, and recently recorded new material, including a jazzy version of ‘Get Your Head Out Your Phone‘.

We saw the group perform deliver an impressive performance at the Street Sounds All-Dayer in Essex back in 2015, and we spoke with founder Bill Curtis about the group’s illustrious history. This is one tour you’re not going to want to miss.

You can find tour dates and links below.