"The Weird Sisters"
"The Weird Sisters"
The Weird Sisters were a very popular band in the wizarding world, and on the Wizarding Wireless Network. Albus Dumbledore booked them to perform in Hogwarts at the 1994 Yule Ball. Despite their name, all eight known members are male.
The Weird Sisters are a popular band among young wizards and witches.
Among the Weird Sisters' songs was "Do the Hippogriff", "Magic Works" and "This Is the Night" which they played at the Yule Ball.
Among the band's instruments were a set of drums, several guitars, a cello, a lute and some bag pipes. When performing in Hogwarts during the Yule Ball, they performed on a magically-appearing stage.
All members of the band were described as being extremely hairy and all wore black robes that had been artfully torn. The band was popular enough that the marriage of the bass player in 1995 made front-page news in the Daily Prophet.
Heathcote Barbary - Rhythm guitar
Gideon Crumb - Bagpipes
Kirley Duke - Lead guitar
Merton Graves - Cello
Orsino Thruston - Drums
Donaghan Tremlett - Bass
Myron Wagtail - Lead singer
Herman Wintringham - Lute
PORTRAYERS OF THE WEIRD SISTERS:
JARVIS COCKER (of Pulp) as Myron Wagtail – vocals
JONNY GREENWOOD (of Radiohead) as Kirley Duke – lead guitar
JASON BUCKLE (of All Seeing I) as Heathcote Barbary – rhythm guitar
STEVE MACKEY (of Pulp) as Donaghan Tremlett – bass
STEVEN CLAYDON (of Add N to (X)) as Gideon Crumb – keyboards and bagpipes
PHIL SELWAY (of Radiohead) as Orsino Thruston – drums
The term "Weird Sisters" was the name given to the three prophetic witches in the play "Macbeth," by William Shakespeare ("weïrd" being Old English for "fate" or "destiny"). Harry Potter series author J. K. Rowling has stated is quite possibly her favourite Shakespeare play. Interestingly, the Spanish edition of the books refers to the band by the name las Brujas de Macbeth (Macbeth's Witches). It is also interesting to point out a second allusion to Macbeth made in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) when the Frog Choir sings "Double Double Toil and Trouble", which is a direct quote from the play.
This is arguably where J. K. Rowling got the idea for the band's name from, although a variant of the name, Wyrd Sisters, was used as the title of a 1988 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett.
There is also a possibility that the name is a play on the heavy rock band, Twisted Sister.
However, the name has no relation with a popular pop rock band, Scissor Sisters, as the American band was formed in 2001.
Behind the scenes:
- Nymphadora Tonks and Ginny Weasley are both fans of the Weird Sisters.
- In the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the band which performs deliberately goes unnamed throughout the film because of a legal dispute between the film studio and Canadian folk band Wyrd Sisters. The band is simply introduced as "The band that needs no introduction!" Because they are identified in the book as the Weird Sisters, it's safe to assume the band in the film was designed to be them.
- Members Merton Graves and Herman Wintringham do not make an appearance in the film.
- The band's songs were written by Jarvis Cocker, who plays singer Myron Wagtail. "Do the Hippogriff" was a collaboration between Cocker and rhythm guitarist Jason Buckle (Heathcote Barbary).
- The Scottish band Franz Ferdinand, confessed fans of the books, were originally invited to play the Weird Sisters.
- In an interview, J. K. Rowling stated that the instruments that they played included bagpipes, cello & electric guitar and that they were Harry Potter's favourite band.
- At least as portrayed in the Harry Potter films, the Weird Sisters is considered to be a wizard rock band.
- Profiles of female members of the Weird Sisters can be seen in the PC video game of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
- All appear on Chocolate frog cards at the Harry Potter Exhibition