The Night Herons were formed in Wallingford, Oxfordshire by Rachel Holmes, singer, and Dave Hemming, songwriter and keyboard player, in 2013. They met at work through a singing group Rachel ran, and pretty much by accident found themselves doing a gig together in a tipi on a golf course at 1:30 am, and realised this was something they really wanted to do. After work they would sneak off to an abandoned tower to work on songs. They started to write their own material and perform gigs at local pubs and festivals, and were joined by Chris Baines on drums and Nick Hill on bass. Nick stepped back in 2024 and Werner de Jong joined the band.

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They’ve experimented with a wide range of genres, including jazz, folk, funk, pop, rap, Motown, trip-hop, Latin and Afrobeat - with the aim of expressing authentic emotions through diverse melodies - using Rachel’s rich vocals and a mix of written and improvised accompaniment. They count Florence And The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Alicia Keys, Ben Folds, Paul Simon, Chet Baker and Stevie Wonder as some of their many influences.

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During the COVID lockdown they used Bandlab to develop new songs remotely, adding harmonies and samples to build complex textures. Their songs are about relationships, the natural world, loneliness and happiness. Above all their tunes are fun, euphoric and uplifting - music to move to and be moved by.

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The Night Herons have played at Bunkfest, Wallingford Blues and Jazz Festival, Goring Gap Festival, Brightfest, Didcot Beer, Cider & Music, Bands On The Boundary, REDFEST, Didcot Summer Fayre, Goring Unplugged, Didcot Live, Acoustic Ballroom and The Cornerstone. They’ve played for Thrive, No. 5 Young People, Kenya Children’s Centres, Ewelme Watercress Beds and at many pubs in Oxfordshire. They played a gig on a moonlit night at the ruined church of St John The Baptist in Mongewell.

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What are Night Herons?

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Night herons are medium-sized semi-nocturnal herons, and we liked the idea of these shy mysterious birds finding sustenance in the dark. Unfortunately, they don’t have very beautiful voices and compared to other more elegant herons are described as short-necked, short-legged and stout.

 

In Japanese legend, the Aosaginohi or Aosagibi (あおさぎび: blue heron fire) is a transformed black-crowned night heron that has become a ghost. Its feathers fuse into shining scales, and the heron blows out shimmering gold powder with each breath, which collects as flickering light, then scattered like dust by the wind. The heron radiates a blue iridescent light from its shining feathers, which acts like a beacon in the unlit marshes.

 

In Germanic mythology, the Nachtkrapp hunts at night and will abduct children who haven’t gone to sleep and take them to its nest to devour them. However, there’s also a Guter Nachtkrapp (a good night heron) that enters children’s bedrooms and sings them to sleep. Make sure you get the right one.