About Badlabecques

We are a 10-piece pop-folk band based on the British Channel Island of Jersey, close to Normandy in France. The ethos of the band is to promote our indigenous but endangered language of Jèrriais as a positive part of Jersey’s cultural identity, not just as ‘heritage’, but as something we can enjoy and be proud of as we move forwards into the future.

Badlabecques are:

Kit Ashton – lead vocals and guitar (middle left)
Martin Coxshall – piano and backing vocals (top right)
Louisa Coxshall – backing vocals (middle right-ish)
Kim Jordan – backing vocals (middle right)
Scott Kean – bass and backing vocals (top middle)
Vanessa Moore – violin (bottom right)
Terri O’Donoghue – violin (top right-ish)
Paul Olivier – percussion (bottom middle)
Johnny Pearse – drums (bottom left)
Monty Tadier – accordion and backing vocals (top left)

“This must-see band is breathing new life into traditional Jersey songs with their infectious blend of pop and folk music. It’s cool, it’s catchy and it’s all performed in Jèrriais.” Jersey Tourism, 2014

Founded by musician Kit Ashton, in collaboration with L’Office du Jèrriais, Badlabecques is a truly unique group, whose music is a fusion of upbeat pop and folk influences from around the world.

Jersey-born Kit, who has a PhD in Music and a range of experience working as a musician and touring with the likes of soul-diva Carleen Andersen and Mercury-award nominated Thomas White (Electric Soft Parade, Brakes), was commissioned by L’Office du Jèrriais to set a few Jèrriais songs to more contemporary arrangements, in order to help teach Jèrriais in schools, and the band evolved from there.

Our first official gig was at Folklore Festival in People’s Park on July 1st 2012. Since then the band has become popular and well-established in the local cultural landscape and beyond, performing regularly at festivals and significant cultural events in the Channel Islands and France, releasing recordings and appearing in the media. Now we have fans all over the world, and in 2016 Kit Ashton was awarded CHASE funding to complete a PhD in Music, looking at how music can contribute to safeguarding endangered languages, with a field study focus on Jersey.

Through our music, we aim to raise the profile of Jèrriais and help shape its public image as a living part of Jersey’s cultural identity.