Hamfatter are three thoroughbred musicians from Cambridge. Their latest album Girls In Graz is a concentrated charge of intelligent power-pop. Their skilful blend of various styles including pop, folk and jazz is a true work of art, a unified sound that calls for a new defenition of brit-pop! This music has guts and you can feel the sheer joy which they take in performing. The word 'hamfatter' refers to the itinerant musicians of the past who literally sang for their supper. Always so good isn't it, to hear music which defies categorisation, and just oozes charm and having a good time from every pore. This is just such a record, a breathless pot-pourri of sounds, choruses, writing skill and just... well, thoroughly enjoying making music. Love it!

Reviewed in Fuse, UK

Hamfatter follow in the great tradition of bands such as Salad and Belle And Sebastian. Opener, 'Girls In Graz' has tons of swing. Standout track 'Seeing You' has a xylophone chorus. Things feel "brit-pop" in places. The sprawling 'Django' is ace; starting out like a musical score before breaking into country nostalgia. John Peel would have loved this band.

Reviewed in Positive Creed by Steve C. Stone, UK

Ease is a word, which one can use repeatedly in connection with Hamfatter. The prelude 'Girls In Graz' the volume originating from Cambridge quotes the swingende ease of mono chrome set from the view of Ben Folds. In 'Seeing You' singer Emilie Martin with their voice floats elegantly and easily over the song. In the track "jump buzzers" is it poetic ease, which is spread. Folkig easily becomes it in 'The Breathing And The Lying'. And 'Motherwell' has beginnings of an easy Rockigkeit. Finally it goes giving easily over the lips that cd a good evaluation to one!! (7.5 out of 10)

Reviewed at Swiss Records by Robert Pally, SWITZERLAND

To start, I will be honest: before my Rubens friend me to present Girls In Graz, I had not heard to speak of Hamfatter. A sin that is not only inexcusable for the fact to exist tons of good bands who appear to each as in the put into motion world indie, and thus is difficult to know all adequately. Thus, I make of this text a gratefulness to the old Rubão friend, since Hamfatter is really one of the good names of its generation, and with Girls In Graz the band follows for a way that few groups of indie pop cover, or either, a return of years 00 for the 80. E everything this in four records: of Ham-fat'er (2002), for the produced good Girls In Graz (2006). Making an elaborated and intelligent sound, the four integrant ones, Eoin O'Mahony, Emillie Martin (that they divide the vocal ones), James Ingham and Mark Ellis, make to sound as refined irony the name of the band (Hamfatter is as amateur bands are called who if show food and drink in exchange for). The Hamfatter is not a group that if it arrests to a style.

Although, in Fireworks, of 2003, its previous record, indie pop has been predominant sort, with that one duo of delicate voices, feminine masculine and, together with guitars and violões fingerings, in this work appears this characteristic "to shoot for all the sides", with musics of diverse sorts, that if join between itself for the perfection technique, enthusiasm, vocal firm and for elaborated arrangements, characteristic that they give to the record "a more adult" character (not that all the bands of years 80 were "adult" and perfect technical). The music that opens the compact disc, homônima of the heading, is one pop glad, where the firm voice of Eoin O'Mahony is decorated by a beautiful metal arrangement (and sensual backing vocals of Emillie Martin), remembering a little the sound of the Belle & Sebastian of its last record. 'Seeing You' has main Emillie in the vocal one, and the climate continues glad, "upbeat". Its voice remembers a little Johnette Napolitano, of the Concrete Blonde, known band after-punk American. By the way, it gives pra to say that Girls in Graz is one of best records of this revival after-punk that it sweeps the planet, easy, easy.

'Left Of Square', the third music, is one of my preferring, for the vocal ones even divided, what also it happens in the following song, the sensible ballad 'Spring Summer'. 'Sleepy Jean Wakes', fifth of eleven musics of the record, with its melody folky and Farfisa agency to the deep one, sends to some things crusties (Levellers is read). The battery ground that opens 'Fireworks' (same music that opened the previous record) seems left a battery of samba school, and music continues in sped up and broken rhythm, with the vocal ones following the rapidity of the battery. One cow-punk of first. In 'The Breathing And The Lying', has a return to the past indie pop of the group, in which the voice of Eoin comes back to sound shy.

The song finishes with emotive a ground of keyboards. In 'Motherwell', name of a escocesa city, headquarters of one of the worse teamses of soccer of that country, the rhythm comes back to speed up almost toward one cow-punk of new, and in 'Django', music that succeeds it, the climate is remained in high, with Eoin and Emillie dividing vocal in a music with fast course, line Violent Femmes. Already 'Dreamer's Day' would not make ugly in the immense discografia of the R.E.M., being an inspired music clearly in the famous group of the Geórgia. In the COMPACT DISC, it is pointed as last music an intitled dialogue 'Interdental Music', that in the truth it is the opening for tenth-second, band-private with right loops (remembering Beatles, one of the rare influences confessed for the band) and vocal distorted. Mixing passed and present, without grasping nor in one nor at another time, the Hamfatter has presented qualities to remain with dignity in the concurred world-wide scene indie. Long life to the band!

Reviewed at Mofo by Pedro Damian, BRAZIL

British quirk-pop ensemble Hamfatter follows up its jaunty Fireworks with a somewhat different beast. Girls in Graz irons out the kinks in the band’s usual tapestry for a smoother, more melodic and even slightly melancholy sound, with a more serious demeanor than is the band’s usual wont. Surprisingly, this works to the group’s advantage; tunes like 'Sleepy Jean Wakes', 'Dreamers’ Day' and the lovely 'Spring Summer' revolve around the sweetness of the melodies and the emotional punch of Eoin O’Mahoney and Emilie Martin’s harmonies rather than on wink-and-nudge cleverness. There’s still plenty of Hamfatter’s cheekiness—check 'Django', 'Fireworks' and 'Motherwell' for some easy grins. But somehow the band gets darker yet shines more brightly here. Girls in Graz is the sound of a good band becoming great.

Reviewed at High Bias by Michael Toland, USA

Chirpy indie-pop at it's very finest, the new Hamfatter album contains 11 catchy tunes to brighten your day. So good, the title song is worthy of being a huge hit single! Check the rest of the album out, by visiting the record labels website. (CD Of The Week)

Reviewed at Starship Overflow by Garry Lee, UK

Hailing from Cambridge – yes, same as Syd Barrett & Robyn Hitchcock – Hamfatter (viz. Eoin O’Mahoney, Emile Martin, James Ingham & Mark Ellis), indulge their rock ‘n’ fantasy with idiosyncratic whimsy. Thus, melodies are always prized but never over eccentricity. Eclectic to a fault, O’Mahoney’s classical training skewers Hamfatter’s pop sensibility brilliantly. Fans of Martin Newell will adore this.

Reviewed at Power Of Pop by Kevin Mathews, SINGAPORE

"We hope to remain your favourite Bratlgeiger (German for Hamfatter)" -
That's what they wish you. They come from Cambridge and the - not exactly everyday for a British band - album title is thanks to a sojourn in Austria. They've even managed to get into the hit parade here. A bubbly mixture of Pop and Folk with varying styles and a certain 70s happiness as a unifying factor. The sound is refreshing because it clearly differentiates itself from contemporary guitar pop. The joy of playing is clear here and you can even hear this in the backwards bonus track.

Reviewed in Der Standard, AUSTRIA

A British band, that sings about their love to Austrians cities? That is to be quite arranged in the category "unusually". The self-appointed Austrophil Hamfatter scored in these parts without fail! The title song of the new album Girls In Graz was on rotation at the Grazer radio station “sound portal” and stayed ten weeks in the charts of radio soundportal. Justifiably! 'Girls In Graz' is a song, which fulfills all ear worm criteria. The sugarsweet harmony of the voices of front man Eoin O´Mahony and vocal support by Emilie. Were rounded off by the dominant factor bass and the blower inserts.

Also a video, in which different Grazer beauties - from the art gallery to blood-young girl, was turned off to find on the Myspace profile of the Cambridge located band (more www.myspace.com/hamfatter). The Austria purchase of Hamfatter is not by chance. Front man O'Mahony plays besides also in that band of FM4 host Robert Rotifer, which supports the musicians energetically. Everything that is to be heard on the album after the opener 'Girls In Graz', can be summarized under "merry-harmonious pop". Guitars (James Ingham) and keyboard dominate, drummer Mark of Ellis does solid work. The voice of singer Emilie, who achieves unusual heights, is now and then habituation needy and probably not everybody's cup of tea.

Nevertheless she imparts songs like "spring summer" a responding, almost ironical note, when she merrily sings lyrics like "and they bring you flowers, and they bring you sex in an outdoor place". A further highlight on the album is 'Fireworks', which lives on drummer Ellis and the successful two voices - also in this case the ear worm warranty is secured. The remaining songs inserts itself smoothly into the complete work, approaches with its cheerfulness however sometimes into irrelevance. The four musicians from Cambridge supply with Girls In Graz. in any case fresh pop, which stands out against the indie mainstream in England. And that sounds sometimes completely marvelously, and sometimes only "ok, the next track asks".

Reviewed at FM5, AUSTRIA

I enjoyed Hamfatter’s Fireworks CD and am certainly not disappointed by Girls In Graz, especially the opening title track which is an absolute classic with its walking bass line, "pub" piano, "The Music Making Horns" and irrepressible chorus. Any song that can contain a phrase like "sartorial lapse" in it is OK by me! The chemistry between vocalists Eoin and Emilie works well (despite the self deprecation by Emilie at the end of track 8!), particularly on the flighty ‘Spring Summer’ where Eoin’s piano accompaniment is perfect and also on the 7 minute plus ‘Django’ whose bouncy rhythmic ambience reflects its title admirably. The change in tempo on ‘Spring Summer’ is also clever and the song ends up like a Russian dance!

‘Sleepy John Wakes’ is another of those songs you’ll swear you’ve heard before but haven’t. The swirling organ sound compliments the song well and one distinguishing feature of this CD is the quality of the sound and the arrangements. There’s also another version of ‘Fireworks’ beginning believe it or not with a short drum solo, a whirlwind run through a powerful rendition of one of the best songs from the album of the same name. Some stirring folky guitar picking introduces ‘The Breathing And The Lying’ and the dreamy arrangement will captivate you.

"I know your mother well, so does the whole darned town" begins ‘Motherwell' - so it’s not about the football team then! Last CD it was a John Peel spoof this time it’s Bill Wyman. The album ends perplexingly with an unlisted backwards reprise! That’s a pity because it really should have ended with ‘Django’. That’s only a minor criticism as at its best Hamfatter truly are ‘eine gute band’. Check them out - if the title track doesn’t get you off your chair nothing will!

Reviewed in Zeitgeist by Phil Jackson, UK

Pink Hedgehog prooved to be one of THE labels from Great Britain to bring the update version of British music that made me a complete British music maniac long long ago... "official British music" now being ruled by unbearable/boring "Blunt-ism" (even more boring than "Brit-pop-ism", which ruled before) made me flee to the USA to find "roots sounds". All this just to tell you that the unique/wonderful/intelligent/happy unpretentious British sound is alive and well - Hamfatter offer it all! And no, they don't sound like (put any fave 1960s band here), they are only 100% Hamfatter! A real winner! And now I'll buy the new Ray Davies album!

Reviewed by DJ Lord Litter, GERMANY

Very happy, very friendly guitar-pop with a great sense of humour that scorns rock posturing, and by doing so achieves an exuberant energy. A bit like Badly Drawn Boy if someone sprinkled amphetamines in his tea. Recommended!

Reviewed in Falter, AUSTRIA

On Girls In Graz this quartet play exuberant Brit-Pop of the James Kirk/Edwyn Collins school. The album, with its careful use of emotional colour, is the perfect accompaniment to the coming Spring. Eleven songs, each like a new best friend.

Reviewed in Der Standard by Karl Fluch, AUSTRIA