Sweet Billy Pilgrim

Sweet Billy Pilgrim are an English Experimental Rock/ Folk band, composed of bassist/banjo player Anthony Bishop, guitarist and songwriter Tim Elsenburg, and drummer/percussionist Alistair Hamer.

The three members met whilst at school, Elsenburg and Bishop are from Wingrave and Hamer from Wendover, both in Buckinghamshire.

Sweet Billy Pilgrim formed in 2003 after their previous band, Cordisto, came to an end.[1] The band are named after the main character in Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse 5.

After repeated rejections from both major and independent record labels, Elsenburg bought a Power Book, they installed Pro Tools, and the band began to record themselves. Due to financial restraints, all of Sweet Billy Pilgrim’s records have (apart from the acoustic drums) been recorded and produced in a garden shed using a laptop and one quite good microphone. The band feel this has had a positive influence on their sound.

Their first release «Experience», was distributed amongst fans and was followed up by the Stars Spill Out of Cups EP. Released on their own label (Luxor Purchase) and featuring hand-stamped artwork, it contains three songs «Stars Spill Out of Cups», «God In The Details», and «Atlantis». The band also gave away a recording called «Forget to Breathe» as an .mp3. It is still available to hear on the bands MySpace site, although the original link to the file no longer works.

As of 2009, they have gone on to release two albums.

We Just Did What Happened and No One Came was released in 2005 and awarded four stars by Mojo magazine, and The Sunday Times called it, «a rather special debut», making the track «Stars Spill Out of Cups» one of their songs of the year.

Twice Born Men was released in 2009 and was awarded 5 stars and made CD of the Week by The Sunday Times, later that year it made The Sunday Times’ top 100 albums of 2009 list. The album was also awarded 4 stars by Mojo and Uncut, and was made a Mercury Prize album of the year for 2009.

Besides their work as Sweet Billy Pilgrim all three members have worked together as session musicians having toured as members of Martin Grech’s band during the Open Heart Zoo era, and playing on the Toyah Willcox album Velvet Lined Shell.

Bishop currently plays electric bass in The Boy Least Likely To’s touring band, and his playing is featured on both of the band’s albums.

Hamer toured with The Boy Least Likely To until 2008, and his drumming is featured on the James Dean Bradfield album The Great Western.

Elsenburg has recorded and performed with Steve Jansen, recorded with Adem Ilhan, remixed for David Sylvian and Steve Adey, and written with Toyah Willcox.

Due to the complexity and layering of sounds used on the recordings, recreating the songs live requires the members to play many different instruments on stage. Bishop plays electric bass, banjo, cymbals and vocals. Elsenburg plays guitar, harmonium, harmonica, and vocals. Hamer plays drums, clarinet, harmonium, loops, and vocals. They are typically joined live by musician David Preece playing piano, keyboards, samples, tin whistle, accordion, vocals, and square waves, Jana Carpenter on backing vocals; and sometimes by Adam Chetwood playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar and banjo.

On 9 July 2010 Sweet Billy Pilgrim appeared as themselves in series four, episode three («Something Happened») of The IT Crowd.

On 13 July 2010 their song «Future Perfect Tense» was made available as a download for the game Rock Band 2

In August 2010 they started recording their 3rd studio album.