About Us
Back of a Length is an acoustic folk duo playing traditional, contemporary and original material:
· John Mannel: vocals, flute, guitar & harmonica
· Mark Worledge: vocals & guitar
John and Mark formed Back of a Length in 2021, after meeting as members of a short-lived Celtic folk-rock band. Enjoying its brief but wide range of musical experimentation, they committed to continuing to work together to make music that is:
· Traditional – arrangements of traditional folk songs and tunes mainly from the British Isles but also elsewhere in Europe;
· Contemporary – interpretations of songs from the last 60 years using folk instrumentation but applied to material from sometimes very different backgrounds;
· Original – songs written by Mark, both new ones written specifically for Back of a Length and older ones re-arranged for folk instrumentation.
In choosing the duo’s perhaps mystifying name, John and Mark drew on their mutual love of cricket. “Back of a length” is the description applied to a bouncier-than-usual delivery that fizzes up unexpectedly around the batter’s ears – in a way that mirrors our ambition to provide our audience with (hopefully pleasant!) musical surprises.
Based in Surrey, Back of a Length has played extensively in folk clubs and pubs in Surrey and South London. A first album – a set of 10 songs titled “Green & Pleasant Land” - was recorded in 2024 and is now available on CD. All ten fuse traditional tunes with newly-written original songs to create a novel blend that also showcases all three solo instruments John and Mark play – flute, guitar and harmonica.
John played for many years in the popular duos “The Riotous Brothers” and “Machan” in pubs and clubs around Surrey and South London. He now runs “Folk@thecornerHOUSE”, the prestigious folk venue in Surbiton, which showcases concerts by world class folk musicians. Another project is “The Shindig”, a monthly acoustic open mic, giving opportunities for local musicians to perform with a first class PA in an intimate and supportive venue. He also plays flute and percussion with The Rusty Rovers in un-plugged sessions - mainly in bars with good beer!
Mark has been singing, playing guitar and writing songs since his childhood. Initially immersed in choral singing and classical piano, he turned to the dark side in his teens after discovering heavy and progressive rock. Life’s twists and turns led him in a different direction for a while, working overseas in locations where music-making opportunities were limited – the likes of Kabul, Kigali and Kinshasa. But, based back in London, Mark is now able to devote himself full-time to the music he loves – fusing his wide range of influences and interests in his writing and performing with Back of a Length and other projects.
