Footspa plays a diverse and exciting range of music from all over Europe, including Bulgarian horas, Scandinavian polskas and French waltzes.
The band was formed in 2007 by four musicians associated with the New Edinburgh Folk Club in Dunedin. Bouzouki-player and guitarist Sean Manning, originally from Northern Ireland, has played in a number of Celtic groups, including Blarney Rose and the Half Legendary Men.
Flute-player Louise Frampton, a classically-trained musician, joined the group just days after arriving in Dunedin from Napier, where she'd been playing folk music for 10 years. Singer and accordion-player Marcus Turner is well-known as a solo singer-songwriter, and as part of "The Chaps". Fiddler Anna Bowen, who was born in the Netherlands, plays in the duo "Catgut and Steel" and also plays fiddle in the folk/rock band "Radler". They joined forces to play songs and tunes from all over Europe, as well as music from the Jewish klezmer tradition, and some Turkish music.
Footspa's repertoire also includes original compositions by Marcus and songs in a variety of languages. Footspa has been engaged to play for gatherings of international dancers, for private functions and for concerts. They've brought their music to museums, theatres, clubs and outdoor venues.
