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In 1858, four intrepid people decided they would build a rocket and be the first humans to land upon the moon. The crew were, Miss Ruby Snow, Sir Matthew Cogsmith, Sgt Mungo Stoker and The Red Gentleman. 

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They thought that fame would be just ahead of them and to this end they used only the finest English mahogany to build the rocket with and then coated it with twenty layers of varnish to ensure the safety of this magnificent project. Then they equipped it with the grandest steam engine that ever was made  the north of England's premiere factories. 

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For provisions they brought on board a wide range of tea .For as any good explorer knows, when trouble raises its head the only solution for those times is a jolly good cup of tea.....and biscuits of course. 

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But alas soon after launching the rocket, it was discovered that there was a shortage of oxygen high in the Earths atmosphere that was not taken into account, and the engine stalled. The rocket tall and proud, slowly at first, came hurtling back to Earth and landed with an almighty crash amid the deep snows of the Antarctic. 

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There, the crew lay frozen for over 150 years. They were eventually discovered years later by a group of modern day scientists who were checking the effects of global warming on the Ice caps. 

After being brought back to life and questioned about their travails, they were quietly taken to live in North Queensland, Australia. There they soon realized  that they had no skills to live in this modern world. So they did the only thing they could to survive. 

They became musicians and formed a band. 

The Littmus Steampunk Band.

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Richard Ryall. aka The Red Gentleman. 

 

He was born on The Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England and now lives in North Queensland, Australia. He took up playing music in his mid forties, a rather late starter. It all began when he discovered an Irish band and one of them was playing a Bodhran. He thought to himself that this looked easy and seemingly it was. After a short period he realised that this was a dead end as no-one would book him to play 3 hours on the Bodhran. So moving on to something else he decided that the mandolin looked interesting. This was a pleasant surprise as his little fat fingers fitted the instrument perfectly. At this stage he wrote his very first song called " Barleycorn Wine ". A little bouncy ditty in the folk tradition. Joining up with some friends he formed the Irish band " The Syrup Of Figs"  after hearing a recording by the late Ramblin Syd Rumpole who said, If music be the food of Gods then we are the Syrup Of Figs ( a good spoonful clears the old constipation problem). After getting bored playing cover songs etc. He bought on Acoustic Guitar and taught himself the basics using some of the fingering techniques he learnt from the mandolin. He has tried to do them properly but decided, bugger it. After writing some songs which he finds rather easy to do and doesn't comprehend why other people can't do it, he set off on his latest journey. Forming Littmus he wrote 5 albums which are now out of print as he decided they were just practising for better ones. 

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FOR BOOKINGS CONTACT

Name Richard Ryall
Phone Number (07) 472-39810
Email littmus@appt.net.au
Website https://littmussteamband.com
Address 19 Florida Place, Townsville,

               Qld, 4817