Phatfish
L-R: Mike Sandeman, Luke Fellingham, Louise Fellingham, and Nathan Fellingham
Background information
Birth name	Purple Phatfish
Origin	Brighton, England
Genre(s)	Christian worship, Christian rock
Years active	1994—present
Label(s)	Authentic Media
Associated acts	Stoneleigh Worship Band, Newfrontiers band, Lou Fellingham & band
Website	http://www.phatfish.net
Members
Lou Fellingham - Vocals Nathan Fellingham - Drums & percussion, backing vocals Luke Fellingham - Bass Mike Sandeman - Keys
Former members
Alan Rose - Guitars Mike Blow - Guitars Rachel Head - Rapper Adrian Watts - Percussion

Phatfish are a Christian Rock/Pop and worship Band. They live in Brighton, England and have spent many years writing and performing their own brand of worship-oriented rock, as well as leading worship both in the UK and across North America and Europe. They have released a number of their own albums and played alongside many well-known worship leaders. They have also appeared on dozens of worship albums and on national television programmes such as BBC1's Songs of Praise. They are active members of their local church "CCK" and are continually involved in leading worship and musical projects. Since they started (1994) Phatfish have been involved in "Stoneleigh" and more recently "Newday" and the annual Newfrontiers leadership conference, among others. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Worship music is a style of Christian music that is commonly used to denote songs that are used to worship God and set in a choral music style, usually with repeating, short, easily sung chorus parts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Lou Fellingham (also known as Louise Fellingham), born 5 July 1974, is a worship leader, songwriter and vocalist from Brighton, in the UK. She has been a member of the band Phatfish since 1994 and has been recognised as a vocalist in her own right since the beginning of Newfrontiers... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a... Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Songs of Praise is a BBC television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. ...

History

The band was formed under the name 'Purple Phatfish' by Dave Fellingham in Brighton UK in January 1994. Dave had a vision for a Christian group that would be excellent musically and be respected by Christians and non-Christians alike. He prayed that it would have an anointing to touch peoples' lives with the power and presence of God. Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. ...

The founder members were Nathan & Luke Fellingham (Dave's two sons; drums & bass), Mike Blow (guitar), Adrian Watts (percussion), Louise Hunt (she has since married Nathan and become Louise Fellingham; vocals), Michael Sandeman (keyboards) and Rachel Head (rapper). Lou Fellingham (also known as Louise Fellingham), born 5 July 1974, is a worship leader, songwriter and vocalist from Brighton, in the UK. She has been a member of the band Phatfish since 1994 and has been recognised as a vocalist in her own right since the beginning of Newfrontiers...

Musically the band was initially a jazz-funk/rap outfit at a time when Acid Jazz was very popular in England. Purple Phatfish had a vision to be 'salt & light' in the secular world, and spent much of the first year performing their own songs in secular music clubs, mainly in the Brighton area where they gained a considerable following on the local music scene. Most of the early songs were not blatantly Christian in content, but tackled contemporary issues with a Christian perspective. Rapper Rachel Head left the band at the end of 1994, and 'Purple Phatfish' became 'Phatfish'.

In the following few years Phatfish gigged further afield, playing regularly in top London music clubs and in universities around the country. They were also in demand with churches all over the UK who would book them to play at youth events and outreaches. During this period they made a number of recordings which have recently been remastered and repackaged under the title An Audience with God.

In 1997 the band felt stirred to work on some more explicitly worship-orientated songs, and released their first full album We Know the Story.

In the summer of 1998, guitarist Mike Blow and percussionist Adrian Watts felt that it was time to move on, and left Phatfish. Guitarist Alan Rose – who had been working with worship leader Paul Oakley – joined, and the band started song writing again. Phatfish moved further away from the jazz-funk sound, and the new songs had a rockier edge. Demos were made with producer Alan Shacklock, and he was able to catch the attention of record company Pamplin Music in the US. Phatfish subsequently signed with Pamplin and in Spring 1999 Purple Through the Fishtank was recorded with them in Nashville. The album had a broad appeal and increased the profile of the band both in the UK and abroad; Phatfish started regularly travelling in Canada, the US and Europe.

By the beginning of 2001 after a busy year of touring and seeing lots of people having great encounters with God in their concerts, the album Heavenbound was born. Recorded in the UK, the album has a recurring theme of Heaven and man's future with God. With Pamplin no longer involved, the band worked with Word UK (now Authentic Media). Heavenbound has been a best seller and received rave reviews. Phatfish had a busy schedule in Autumn 2001, gigging with Heavenbound all over the UK, as well as at events in Canada.

In the summer of 2001 they had done an impromptu 'unplugged' gig with minimal equipment on a side stage at Stoneleigh Bible Week. It went amazingly well and it was decided that three unplugged gigs would take place in January 2002 in different parts of the country to raise money for AIDS orphans in Africa through an organization called Hope HIV. The concerts were all sold out and were a great success, raising £9,500 for Hope HIV. A live album (Hope) was recorded at the gigs and released in spring 2002. Special guests Stuart Townend, Kate Simmonds and Brian Houston joined Phatfish at the gigs. The 2006 DVD release There is a Day includes the Brighton unplugged gig. An impromptu (meaning something like offhand) is a free-form musical composition with the character of an improvisation, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano. ... Stuart Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and worship songs. ... Brian and Bobbie Houston Brian Houston is a Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, an Assemblies of God in Australia megachurch. ...

In November 2002, the band embarked on The Truth Tour, a series of concerts around the UK using specially-written new songs with the theme of living by God's truth. This was a much bigger multi-media style production than they had used before; the gigs were in larger venues with thousands attending and meeting with God as well as enjoying the rocking live show.

As soon as the tour was over the band retreated into the studio to record the songs which had been used on the tour. The resulting album is called Nothing But the Truth and was released in May 2003, to more fantastic reviews. The band continued touring and playing at festivals through that summer and autumn.

It was with some sadness that the rest of the group said goodbye to Alan Rose in August 2003. The remaining four members took some time out and spent a year or so concentrating on other non-Phatfish projects. Apart from a couple of summer festival gigs, there were some BBC Songs of Praise appearances and worship leading engagements with Matt Redman, Stuart Townend, and others. Nathan and Luke produced an album for Kingsway’s Survivor label called Soul Sista. The three guys also worked on music for a dance production based at their church in Brighton. Songs of Praise is a BBC television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. ... Matt Redman is a British Christian worship leader and songwriter, and was one of the main worship leaders associated with the Soul Survivor organisation. ... Stuart Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and worship songs. ...

In 2004, Phatfish released an album called Faithful which featured fresh studio arrangements of many of their more 'congregational' worship songs.

Drummer Nathan Fellingham was the driving force behind the album Trinity, released 2006. It is a compilation of tracks from many artists including Phatfish; the songs focusing on the Trinitarian nature of God. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      In Christianity, the doctrine...

In late 2005, band member Lou Fellingham recorded her debut solo album Treasure, which was released in January 2006. The band appeared several more times on the BBC's Songs of Praise.^[1][2]

At the end of 2006 a Phatfish resource CD called Working as a band was released. It gives practical teaching and advice for local church worship musicians, and explains some of the basics of making a cohesive band sound that will work in a church setting.

There Is A Day - DVD video collection was also released at the end of 2006, incorporating music videos, an unplugged concert and interview footage. The video content was created by Quirky Motion and Fruit Media.

Origin of band name

The band was originally called "Purple Phatfish", a name that came from a small purple keyring featuring a little fat fish that blew air out of its mouth when you squeezed it. The keyring was given as a present by Nathan's sister-in-law and she suggested that Purple Fat Fish would be a good name for a band. (A picture of the fish may be seen on the 'What's in a name?' page on the band's website.)^[3]

Speculation and next album

Ever since Alan Rose's departure, there have been rumours flying around that Phatfish have disbanded. Although they have been gigging less, the band remain active and will be releasing a new album called 'Guaranteed' in July 2007, featuring ten brand new songs. The band is working with producer Kevan Frost, who produced the album 'Heavenbound', and has worked with people like Boy George.^[3] George Alan ODowd, better known as Boy George (born June 14, 1961 in Eltham, Kent) is a pop singer-songwriter. ...

Phatfish will also be gigging on the 4th of August at Newday 2007, an international youth conference for 12-19s run by Newfrontiers, and on the 10th of August at Cheltenham Bible Festival.

Discography

Note: This is a list of actual Phatfish recordings and does not include the numerous other worship albums on which they have played.

• 1994 'Purple Phatfish' three song demo (cassette only)
• 1995 'River of Life' (cassette only)
• 1996 'Neworldisorder' six song EP
• 1997 'We Know the Story'
• 1999 'Purple Through the Fishtank'
• 2000 'An Audience with God' - compilation with some re-recorded material
• 2001 'Heavenbound'
• 2002 'Hope - Unplugged Live'
• 2003 'Nothing But The Truth'
• 2004 'Faithful'
• 2006 'Trinity' - compilation album *
• 2006 'Working As A Band - Music resource for Church musicians.
• 2006 'There Is A Day' - DVD Video collection
• 2007 'Guaranteed' (scheduled for release July 2007)

• * Trinity is a compilation of tracks from Phatfish and other artists including Matt Redman, Cathy Burton, Brenton Brown, Geraldine Latty, Monique Tute, Dean Salyn and Kristin Getty.

Matt Redman is a British Christian worship leader and songwriter, and was one of the main worship leaders associated with the Soul Survivor organisation. ... Brenton Brown, born in South Africa, is a Christian songwriter and worship leader. ...

Other albums/discography Phatfish have featured in

Note: This is a list of recordings in which some members of the band, if not all, have appeared in. These are not actual Phatfish releases. It is not a comprehensive list,

• 1994 'Ruach' - Stoneleigh album
• 1995 'Day Of Favour' - "
• 1996 'My First Love' - "
• 1997 'Loves Compelling Power'
• 1998 'Beautiful Saviour' - "
• 1999 'Covenant Of Grace' - "
• 2000 'Chosen From The Nations'
• 2000 'Praise Mix 2000' - Recorded at Christian event Spring Harvest
• 2000 'Revive '00 - Dare To Believe' - Stoneleigh youth event
• 2001 'The Fathers Embrace'
• 2001 'Revive - Joy' - Stoneleigh youth events
• 2001 'In Christ Alone' - Recorded at CCK, Brighton
• 2001 'Revive '01 - Dreams and Visions' - Stoneleigh youth event
• 2002 'Newfrontiers - Live 2002' - Recorded at CCK, Brighton
• 2002 'Soul Survivor Live 2002 - Glimpses Of Glory'
• 2003 'Does The Future Have A Church' - A compilation of worship songs from previous albums *
• 2004 'Newday 2004' - Recorded at Newfrontiers youth event
• 2004 'The Passion Of God's Son' - Recorded at Newfrontiers event 'Leadership '04
• 2005 'Newday - You Reign' - Recorded at Newfrontiers youth event '05 (backing for Matt Redman)
• 2005 'The Power Of The Cross' - Recorded at Newfrontiers event 'Leadership '05
• 2006 'Treasure' - Lou Fellingham's debut album
• 2006 'Praise Is Rising' - Recorded at Newfrontiers event 'Leadership '06
• 2006 'Newday - Shout From The Roof' - Recorded at Newfrontiers youth event '06 (backing band for Siyoli Lusaseni)

References

• Phatfish – artist profile at Cross Rhythms
• Church of Christ the King, Brighton, worship team profile on Phatfish
• Word on the Web (Church Army) – Interview with Nathan Fellingham (Dec 2004)
• Wesley Owen – interview (Feb 2005)

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Stuart Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and worship songs. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Official Phatfish links

• Official Phatfish website
• Phatfish MySpace page
• Official Phatfish YouTube page

Other

• Official Louise Fellingham website
• Newfrontiers official website
• Newday official website