Hamfatter is a pop rock band formed in Cambridge, UK, in 2002. The band are known primarily for their appearance on BBC's Dragons' Den. The core of the band is a three-piece, comprising Eoin O'Mahony, James Ingham and Mark Ellis. Eoin O'Mahony is the younger brother of the author Daniel O'Mahony.
History
Following tours of local venues throughout the UK, and several line-up changes, Hamfatter signed to in 2003. Hamfatter's first official album, Fireworks, enjoyed moderate success - particularly in and around Cambridge, where the band had built up a following. Hamfatter's next release, Girls in Graz, continued to raise the band's UK profile. The title track received radio-play and became a surprise hit in Austria, and two European tours followed. During this time Intim Productions of Vienna produced a DVD featuring live performances, interviews and a video for the song "Fireworks". In June 2006, Hamfatter were booked to headline the main stage at Strawberry Fair, Cambridge's summer festival. For this performance in front of an audience of several thousand, the usual three-piece line-up was enhanced by a horn section and double bass. This larger line-up has featured at most of the band's subsequent performances. Hamfatter recorded their third studio album, entitled What Part of Hamfatter Do You Not Understand?, in summer 2007. Its lead single, "Sziget ", reached 13 in the UK indie charts, and 54 in the UK singles charts. NME wrote a review in 2007 saying "Hamfatter carry an arsenal of power-pop nuggets including the amazing 'Sziget' which deserves to be a hit." Hamfatter's fourth studio album Cassiopeia, released in 2011, included production by Joe Chiccarelli. The album was praised in Mojo magazine for its 'big, lush sound' and 'curly, insistent melodies'. In May 2019, after several years' hiatus, Hamfatter began releasing new songs and videos online, receiving over 10,000 YouTube views within a month. The 'History' EP, featuring three of these new songs, was released in June 2019.
Dragons' Den
The band appeared on the UK edition of Dragons' Den on BBC2 on 21 July 2008, where they performed an extract from "Sziget " in an attempt to secure a £75,000 investment as an alternative to a standard record deal. After offers from four of the five potential investors, they agreed a deal with Peter Jones. The day after airing, Jones appeared on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Hamfatter's next single "The Girl I Love" was previewed. It was then announced that the song was available to download immediately, and would be available to buy physically in August. Within one hour of their appearance on Dragons' Den, the single had sold 500 copies via downloads, with a further 1,000 selling later that night. On the UK Singles Chart published on 27 July 2008, the song entered at Number 71. Released on CD and vinyl a month later, the single entered the UK indie singles chart at Number 3.
Criticism
Hamfatter's unorthodox method of raising funding from outside the record label system led to some negative comments from New Musical Express and The Guardian. The NME subsequently published a negative review by Nick Haynes of the re-released album What Part of Hamfatter Do You Not Understand? without indicating that the album had previously received a favourable review from another NME journalist; the latter review did, however, contain praise for "The Girl I Love", the only new track recorded after the band had secured financial backing from Jones. Elsewhere, the Dragons' Den deal was greeted with interest and cautious praise from industry figures such as Dave Eringa, Feargal Sharkey and NMEnews editor Paul Stokes. Reports that Hamfatter were due to sign a record contract with Simon Cowell or Sony were dismissed by the band as journalistic invention.
