Phatfish
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 in Brighton, England |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Brighton , England |
| Products | Studio albums, live recordings, compilation albums |
Phatfish was a Christian rock and contemporary worship band originating from Brighton, England, active between 1994 and 2014. Over their career, they produced nine studio albums, multiple live recordings, and a compilation titled 15: The Anniversary Collection in 2008. The lineup prominently featured Lou Fellingham on lead vocals, Nathan Fellingham on drums, Michael Sandeman handling keyboards, and Luke Fellingham playing bass.
Their worship anthems such as "Holy, Holy," "There is a Day," and "Amazing God" gained widespread recognition across the global Christian music community.
Formation and Early Development (1994–2000)
The band was established by Dave Fellingham in Brighton in January 1994 under the original name 'Purple Phatfish,' inspired by a novelty purple fish keyring that expelled air when squeezed.
Initially embracing a jazz-funk and rap style with original compositions performed locally, their early repertoire did not explicitly reflect Christian themes. After rapper Rachel Head's departure late in 1994, the group shortened its name to 'Phatfish.'
By 1997, the band transitioned towards worship music, releasing their first album, We Know the Story. Following the exit of guitarist Mike Blow and percussionist Adrian Watts in 1998, Alan Rose joined as guitarist. This period marked a stylistic shift from jazz-funk to rock, with demo sessions produced by Alan Shacklock. They secured a deal with the American label Pamplin and recorded Purple Through the Fishtank in Nashville during spring 1999. This release broadened their exposure, facilitating tours throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2000, they issued An Audience With God, which included earlier works.
Progression Through the 2000s
The album Heavenbound was launched in 2001, accompanied by a UK tour that autumn. In January 2002, Phatfish recorded three acoustic performances across the UK for the Hope album. This project featured guest artists Stuart Townend, Kate Simmonds, and Brian Houston, with proceeds benefiting Hope HIV to support African AIDS orphans.
May 2003 saw the release of Nothing But the Truth. After guitarist Alan Rose left in August that year, the band paused activities for approximately one year.
They later released Faithful – The Worship Songs, containing studio renditions of their congregational worship pieces. The accompanying "Faithful Tour" covered venues across England and Scotland with guitarist Dan Wheeler.
In 2006, Phatfish contributed to the compilation album Trinity, collaborating alongside various artists. The band made several appearances on BBC's Songs of Praise throughout 2006 and 2007 and joined Lou Fellingham and Stuart Townend on the UK 'Stu + Lou tour.'
Towards the end of 2006, they issued an instructional CD titled Working as a band, designed for church worship musicians initiating bands. Alongside this came There Is A Day – The Video Collection, which included music videos, an unplugged concert recording, and interviews.
July 2007 marked the release of Guaranteed, their first studio album since 2003.
To celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, they released a double-CD greatest hits package called 15 in December 2008.
In January 2009, Ben Hall and Jos Wintermeyer joined as guitarists as Phatfish returned to studio recording for the album In Jesus, which was released later that year.
Final phase
In December 2010, Phatfish unveiled the compilation Anthems for Worship, which included remastered versions alongside fresh recordings of their well-loved worship songs designed for congregational participation.
During the summer of 2011, the band recorded Higher in their own studio, presenting a collection with a stronger pop influence and more personal arrangements, including the hymn "And Can It Be". Throughout 2011 and 2012, Phatfish toured across the UK, and in Autumn 2012 they accompanied Lou Fellingham on her solo tour.
Marking two decades together, Phatfish declared in January 2014 that they would hold two farewell concerts. These took place on 14 and 15 March at Wessex Christian Centre, where former guitarists Mike Blow and Alan Rose joined them on stage for select songs. The performances were captured for their concluding double album titled Phatfish LIVE.
Band members
| Role | Period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1995–1997 | 1998–2003 | 2004–2008 | 2009–2014 | |
| Lead Vocals | Lou Fellingham | ||||
| Guitar | Jos Wintermeyer | ||||
| Lead Guitar | Mike Blow | Alan Rose | Ben Hall | ||
| Bass | Luke Fellingham | ||||
| Drums | Nathan Fellingham | ||||
| Percussion | Adrian Watts | ||||
| Keyboards | Michael Sandeman | ||||
| Rapping | Rachel Head | ||||
Legacy
Mike Rimmer from Cross Rhythms highlighted Phatfish’s substantial impact on the UK worship community, emphasizing their role as songwriters and their involvement with the Stoneleigh worship collective over the last ten years.
Phatfish has provided a wealth of worship material embraced by churches both domestically and internationally. According to Nathan Fellingham, their track Holy Holy is arguably their most recognized song worldwide. This piece has also been featured on Tim Hughes' album When Silence Falls as well as The Livingstone Collective's Portrait of Worship. Other compositions such as There Is A Day, Amazing God, and Awake Awake O Zion have appeared on various compilation albums, live recordings, studio productions, instrumental collections globally, and have been interpreted by numerous other artists.
Discography
This selection lists only official releases by Phatfish.
- 1994 Purple Phatfish (demo cassette with three tracks)
- 1995 River of Life (cassette release)
- 1996 Neworldisorder (six-track EP)
- 1997 We Know the Story
- 1999 Purple Through the Fishtank
- 2000 An Audience with God (compilation featuring some re-recorded songs)
- 2001 Heavenbound
- 2002 Hope – Unplugged Live
- 2003 Nothing But The Truth
- 2004 Faithful: The Worship Songs
- 2006 Trinity (compilation including other artists)
- 2006 Working As A Band (resource aimed at church musicians)
- 2006 There Is A Day – The Video Collection (DVD)
- 2007 Guaranteed
- 2008 15 – The Anniversary Collection
- 2009 In Jesus
- 2010 Anthems For Worship
- 2011 Higher
- 2014 PHATFISH LIVE