Originally formed in 1995 by two members of Rock 'n' Roll three piece The Sneekers Terry Parkins, Guitar and Vocals and Pete Neill, Bass and Vocals; were joined by Big Vern on Drums and, "The Mearcatz" were born.
The music has its roots in 50's Rockabilly with the band quickly gaining recognition; in order to appeal to a wider audience 60's classic hits were added to their set.
Coming from Salford they were soon playing regularly in and around the North West and with a monthly spot at the Drop Inn, Monton ‘The Mearcatz' had audiences dancing in the aisles with their unique brand of Rock 'n' Roll and on stage personas.
In early 2004 after a phone call from a local lad now residing in Lanzarote ‘The Mearcatz' found themselves playing a 7 day tour in Puerto Del Carmen where they gained a lively following amongst both the holiday makers and the locals. It was during the fourth tour in January 2005 that the band along with some local bar owners and fellow musicians drafted the idea of a staging a charity 'Live Aid' type concert in aid of the devastation caused by the Tsunami in Asia, and Lanzaid was created.
Lanzaid was played out to an audience of thousands on Saturday 18th March 2005; it featured live acts from around the globe and succeeded in raising €33,000 for the Red Cross Tsunami Appeal. This event was repeated on Saturday 25th March 2006 with the organizers enjoying a repeat of the last year's success and saw ‘The Mearcatz' embark on their seventh tour of Lanzarote.
Another musical event close to the hearts of ‘The Mearcatz' is the annual festival held in Esbjerg, Denmark. ‘The Mearcatz' were invited out there in the summer of 2005 and wowed the Danish audiences with their Rock 'n' Roll show and secured an invitation for August 2006, which turned out to be every bit as successful as the previous year.
Continuing with the international theme 'The Mearcatz' were invited over to Dublin for a "mini" tour at the end of September and took the "Fair City" by storm, taking in two nights in the capitol and another in the seaside town of Ballbriggan.
'The Mearcatz' are looking forward to a lively future!
Visit www.mearcatz.com or www.myspace.com/mearcatz for more details
