CREW MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES
FERN BROOKE
aka CAPTAIN
Born in 1982
LEAD SINGER & BACKING VOCALS
AUTHOR & SONGWRITER
GRAPHIC DESIGN, WEBSITE, PROMOTION
Loupoulo Festival, 11/06/2022
Line up : oo7 Airlines, R-Dug, Vanupié, Smokey Joe & the Kid, Rakoon, Biga*Ranx
© Photography : www.severinebaur.fr
From a young age Fern fell in love with mento, blue beat, ska, rocksteady, nyabinghi, roots, reggae, rubadub, and dub music and with the elder's conscious and positive message.
When song writing, Fern uses multifaceted metaphorical texts to address environmental and human rights issues. She also explores the depth of human feelings through delicately written love songs.
Originally from Yorkshire in England, she sang in choirs from her early childhood and gave regular performances in close harmony ensembles, notably in the York Minster and the Sagrada Familia.
Whilst studying Fine Art, she discovered singing trip-hop and also sang on live drum & bass riddims. In Leeds she discovered the vibrant Jamaican Sound System Culture at the West Indian Center. It gave her a new meaningful direction in the music style that she decided to pursue.
After travelling to far and distant places around the World she now draws her inspiration from the mountainous landscapes of the Ardèche mountains.
In collaboration with JOSEPH COTTON, (who gave her the nickname "Captain"), Fern recorded lead vocals on a cover of BLOOD & FIRE, a SLY DUNBAR, FLABBA HOLT dubplate, produced by R.I.T.S (Room in the Sky) record label based in London. Released in mp3 & cd format November 2023 and in vinyl LP album format in April 2024, "New Fashion Way" by Joseph Cotton.
STEPHANE PAUMEL
aka POM
Born in 1973
DRUMS
BACKING VOCALS
AUTHOR & COMPOSER
KEYBOARDS & PERCUSSION (Ableton)
© Photography : www.severinebaur.fr
Pom started playing the drums in his early twenties and was the drummer in the French reggae group RASPIGAOUS from Marseille, between 1998 to 2003.
They performed over 300 concerts across France and recorded two studio albums, CHAUD TIME in 1998, CHIENS DES QUAIS in 1999 and one live album, LIVE AU CABARET ROUGE in 2003.
The band were often programmed at the same venues as artists such as ;
LINTON KWESI JOHNSON aka LKJ,
THE SKATALITES, THE WAILERS BAND,
JIM MURPLE MEMORIAL, ORANGE STREET,
PERCUBABA, ZENZILE, SKA-P...
When Pom arrived in Ardèche in 2010 leaving the hustle and bustle of Marseille looking for greener pastures,
he joined the local reggae band SQUARE ROOTS for a year.
Passionate about Jamaican music, Pom collects vinyls and regularly hosts parties in Ardèche.
LUC BELLEMERE aka LUCKY
Born in 1969
LEAD GUITAR
BACKING VOCALS
BASS ON ALBUM "TAKEOFF" 2023
© Photography : www.severinebaur.fr
Lucky was deeply influenced by the roots reggae music coming out of Jamaica between 1970 and 1985.
He joined the Rouen based band SQUARE ROOTS in 1995 as their lead guitarist. In 1996 the band record their first album OUI KOM FOR KONKOR, a live act SOMETIMES I DREAM, side A & side B and in 1997 recorded their second album DUB OR in 1998.
Between 1995 et 2011 the band were programmed at the same venues as artists such as;
ISRAEL VIBRATION, BURNING SPEAR, U ROY,
The MIGHTY DIAMONDS, SEBASTIEN STURM and
MASSILIA SOUND SYSTEM...
He and the band relocated to Ardèche in 1999.
In 2013 they recorded their third album
Lucky met Pom in 2010 with whom spent countless hours recording instrumental dub riddims in Pom's cellar. He joined oo7 AIRLINES in 2020.
He recorded both the lead guitar and the bass lines for oo7 AIRLINES' album TAKEOFF in 2022/23.
Lucky is also a winemaker and a passionate about the insect World. He sings and plays compositions to children, broadening their awareness of nature.
BARKA
Born in 1983
RHYTHMIC GUITAR
SKANK
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© Photography : Thomas Claudel
Barka discovers reggae in high school with “Looks is Deceiving" by "The Gladiators", on the famous "Dreadlocks the time is Now" album !
Bass drums, a skank, vocals and a message. From then on, a guitar, words, and a message coming from far away will be a common thread.
From this meeting were born reggae projects which led Barka to become interested in sound, to the point of becoming a technician.
From reggae, to metal, to rock, to brassband, to song, Barka has collaborated on numerous projects throughout France.
Based in Ardèche, he founded Skrank, with musicians and friends he met on the road and on tours, a different reggae group, take advantage of all their influences and encounters in the world of current music, from reggae to metal.
In 2022 he meets the 007 Airlines by welcoming them as a technician and the power passes. He offers them his services as a sound technician, for the pleasure of a return to basics with their Reggae music. After a few dates together, he takes on the rhythmic guitar.
THOMAS METTLING
aka Se7h
Born in 1985
BASS
Both of Thomas' parents were singers, so naturally he started singing from an early age.
He discovered the guitar when he was 15 years old using it to accompany his vocals in various different rock/metal /punk projects.
In 2008 he returned to professional music studies and discovered the bass which led him to embarking on several different reggae and ska projects. He actively produced live on stage and was selected in a competition to perform as the first act of ZEBDA.
Since moving to the Ardèche in 2017, Thomas has settled down as a school music teacher, specializing in music theory, the guitar, the bass and singing.
In parallel, Thomas continues to pursue his passion of playing fat reggae bass lines since joining oo7 AIRLINES in 2022.