Past Band Members
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Neal "Thrifty" Higgins
1947 - 2021
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Neal formed Thrifty Malone with Trevor Emmett around 2009. No stranger to gigging, Neal had tread the boards for many years playing in the Folk Clubs of Yorkshire (Ossett and Wakefield to be precise), where he also formed and played as part of the folk group Scott MacNeal. His unique, rich voice was perfect for the folk and Irish songs that the band regularly played and we were lucky enough to capture this when recording "Henry Street", an Irish ballad written for Neal to sing.
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Taken from the band too early, we all miss him.
Paul "Zooney" Alexander
Zooney joined the band shortly after it was formed by Neal and Trevor and remained a well known fixture until he moved away from Gibraltar in 2020. With Zooney joining, Thrifty Malone started to develop the sound it eventually became known for. An extraordinary front man and harmonica player with many years experience he was a key member of the group and part of the six who started recording and writing original material. You can hear his playing and singing on both Six Hours Down the Road and Henry Street.
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A well known and liked character in Gibraltar as well as a skilled Glass Blower/Craftsman.
Mark Alexander
Mark was the original lead guitarist with Thrifty Malone and started playing in the band as a teenager. Showing immense talent from day one he continued with the band until he left Gibraltar to go to University. He came back to play at gigs whenever he was in Gibraltar and played at all the Astonbury gigs and our big gig at the MTV Gibraltar Calling Festival. An exceptional guitarist and great band mate.
Iain Currie
Iain was the first regular drummer with Thrifty Malone until he moved away from Gibraltar. Iain was the drummer on the first "Sessions" TV show and kept the beat for many years. Iain stepped in again with the band briefly for a couple of songs when he brought us over to his home in France. Still actively playing with local friends and musicians.
Neil Wadsley
Neil deputised on drums on many occasions and also added his own unique style to the harmonies on songs like "Ride On" and "Fields of Athenry". Also a mean Cahon player, he was a regular part of the cohort that played up at McGuinness's in the early days. Neil joined us again for a couple of songs at Astonbury 2019. Always a smile and a kind word for fellow band mates, especially new ones.