The members of Little Sister Band originally worked together in November 2012 at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire in the local operatic society's production of the rock musical 'Return to the Forbidden Planet' where the girls took leading roles and the musicians performed as the on-stage band.  They enjoyed each other’s company and talents and decided to continue their association in this musical project which has seen them appear in concert at the Sage, Gateshead, the Gala Theatre in Durham, Newcastle City Hall, and the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond as well as playing numerous pub, function and party gigs.

ALLIE COCHLAN
Vocals

 

HEIDI RICHARDSON
Vocals
  

Allie has worked in theatre and as a professional singer with several bands and on cruise ships. She's been performing in musicals for over 20 years and regularly sings in concerts to raise money for the Soldiers Charity, ABF.
Heidi fell in love with the bright lights of the stage at the tender age of 4, when she scooped first prize in a North West talent competition. She’s been singing and dancing ever since. She spent two years working professionally with a dance band in Cyprus entertaining the boys in uniform and has performed many leading roles in amateur operatic productions.
   

JO WILKINSON
Vocals & guitar

 

BRIAN COOK
Keyboards
  
Jo has been performing in musicals for the last 30 years and her favourite roles have been Nancy in ‘Oliver’ and Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’. She’s also a solo performer, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, but this is her first time working with a live band.
Brian has worked as session musician and a rehearsal pianist for a record label, as a producer of music programmes at the BBC and commercial radio stations, and as a composer of songs and jingle packages. He was musical director on the rock musical where the members of the Little Sister Band first worked together and he writes the arrangements for the band.
   

MIKE HARPER
Acoustic Guitar

 

NIGEL BAINBRIDGE
Drums
  
Mike Harper plays in a variety of styles with various bands. He's played at Glastonbury as a solo performer singing classic blues songs and accompanying himself on Dobro resonator guitars which would have been played in the juke joints and honky tonks in the Mississippi delta in the 1920s and 30s.
Nigel is a formidable rock drummer who could give Animal from the Muppets a run for his money. But he’s been roped in, scrubbed up and tamed for the Little Sister Band through the simple expedient of insisting that he plays an electronic kit which has a volume control which can be turned down.
   
 
MICHAEL WHENT
Bass		  
Michael has been playing the bass guitar in live bands for over 10 years. He studied music at The Performance Academy, Newcastle College where he earned a B. Mus (Hons) Degree in Jazz, Commercial and Popular Music. His interest in music is extremely diverse and along his ever extending  musical journey has played and recorded with soul bands, rock bands, acoustic ensembles and jazz bands of varying sizes.