“You could file Driven Serious under the banner of folk-rock; but they are so much than that. They have a vibrancy that you can virtually see thrumming off them when they play, passionate and with the handbrake well and truly off, and with a vibe that has had people likening them to The Levellers to The Pogues to The Smiths to The Wonderstuff…” – The Crack Magazine
North-East punk-folk outfit Driven Serious has been gigging in the North East and beyond since 2011.
Its current lineup combines pairs long-time members frontman and songwriter Rob Jones and bassist and multi-instrumentalist Tim Packer, with newer arrivals Weardale singer and keyboardist Sinéad Livingston, Northumberland fiddler Alistair McCubbin, drummer Mark Burley and cellist Caroline Hoile.
The band’s first album, The Importance of Being Serious, was released in 2013, and followed in 2016 with the Ballad of Bones EP, featuring new music as well as live tracks from headlining gigs at the Cluny in Newcastle and the Twisted Lip in Middlesborough. In 2022, this was followed by their second album, Look On These Works.
The band will be touring across the North East and elsewhere – tour dates can always be found at drivenserious.com.