Box and Fiddle
Year 38 No 01
September 2014
Price £2.70
44 Page Magazine
12 month subscription £32.40 + p&p £15.75 (UK)
Editor – Pia Walker, Cupar (Magazine now Matchplay size)
B&F Treasurer – Charlie Todd, Thankerton
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time-consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
Marie and I have been working hard over the last couple of months and hope you like the new format and look. I for one………..
Guest Artiste of the Year – Gordon Pattullo & Gemma Donald
CD of the Year – The Strathcarron Collection – Janet Graham SDB
Club Supporter of the Year – Derek Hamilton
Club of the Year – Coalburn A&F Club
Pia Walker
NAAFC Chairman’s Report
By Nicol McLaren
The past year has been a very demanding one……….
George Darling
by Charlie Todd
A tidy terraced cottage in a ‘miners row’ in the quaint Mid Lothian village of Rosewell, near Bonnyrigg, has been home for the past 30 years to George Darling. But how did an Englishman from a totally non musical family, born on the land but trained as a coal mining engineer, become one of the best known and respected drummers in the Scottish dance band scene? To find out the answers I met up with George at his home one February afternoon.
George was born on 24th May, 1931 in Newcastle before being taken to the family home at Low Buston Farm near Alnwick. Along with brother Jim, five years his senior, he attended Walkworth School till the age of 14 by which time they had moved to neighbouring farm, High Buston. Neither dad, Ralph, nor mum Millie, were musical although Millie had been a good dancer in he young days but I’ll let George take up the story : “During 1940 the military took over the Estate opposite the farm and eventually the Gordon Highlanders arrived. After a few days I heard the pipes playing so off I went to see and hear what was going on, complete with round specs and wellies. After a while I wandered about the camp almost unhindered. Sometimes the soldiers would hide me in a truck or a bren-gun carrier and give me a wee hurl – great fun for a young laddie.
“Anyway, by this time I knew where the drums were kept so I would sneak in and rattle a drum with an old pair of sticks I got off a woman on the farm who’s son played, but tragically, had been killed at Dunkirk. Occasionally a soldier would chase me telling me in the strange Aberdeen dialect (to me anyway) not to come back. This went on for a while until one day a soldier arrived at my house asking for me. He said they were tired of chasing me so they would teach me if that was okay! So real drumming lessons began. An Aberdonian drummer took me once a week when his duties allowed. However the day came when they were posted away. By good fortune though it was the Argyll’s who followed, also complete with pipe band, and to my surprise a soldier arrived at the house. He said they had been told about me and would continue to teach me. Inevitably the day came when they were posted too, so I said my sad farewells and went off to school. When I came home my mother told me to look in the outhouse. That morning one of the bandsmen had come to the house and left me an old drum. So with this and a hard backed book (there were no practice pads in those days) I made my folks life a misery.
“Moving on, when I was fifteen, in 1946, I joined a Boys Club and there I met two lads my own age, Bryce Anderson and John Thompson, who played accordions so after a while we started a band. By this time we had been joined by another young accordionist, Peter Andrucci, but his bellows leaked so much we were catching colds, so we persuaded him to play the piano (when playable anyway). Under the name ‘The Minstrel Boys’ we started playing at local dances.
In those days Friday night dances finished at 2 a.m. but sometimes they would ask the band to play on for another hour and the dancers would have a collection round the hall for the band. Sometimes that collection came to more than the original band fee! Incidentally the going rate in those days was £1 on Friday nights and 15 bob on Saturdays.
A highlight was always if a Scottish dance band came down to play in Alnwick (Shand, Fitchet and MacLeod were the favourites). In those days dances didn’t stop for an interval. The band members either took their break on a rota or locals were asked to play and we were often asked to do this, which was great because it got us in and tickets were like gold dust. I got a lot of encouragement from Angus Fitchet and his drummer. Fitchet and MacLeod always let me play two or three dances with their bands. I also had a lot of help from ‘Pibroch’ Mackenzie, Bobby MacLeod’s fiddler who was also a very talented pipe band drummer.
“After two or three years we applied to audition with the BBC for a ‘Barn Dance’ music programme that went out all over England. By this time we had been joined by Willie Millar, a fiddler, and we engaged a session bass player from Newcastle. We passed at the second attempt but the BBC changed the name of our band to ‘The Cheviot Ranters’. Since the music was broadcast nationwide they liked the band’s name to give an indication of where they came from. There were only a few other bands doing this so we did about one a month from the fictional ‘Windyhope Farm’ (in Scotland you had ‘Down at the Mains’ - same idea). Jack Armstrong’s Barnstormers were another of the regular bands and there was a chap Adamson from Carlisle. In 1955 we also did a one-off TV programme from Alnmouth Boys Club which amazingly enough went out on prime time TV – 8 p.m. on a Saturday evening. The critics hammered it in the newspapers though – they called it hill-billy music. Incidentally there were complaints from the BBC up north if we played too many Scottish tunes. So we had to use lots of hornpipes and Irish tunes and Felix Burns compositions.
“I was with this band for roughly twelve years, then I decided to try something different, so I did the Working Men’s Club scene for a few years. Then a friend came to see me one day and said a Scottish Band was playing locally on the Friday evening and they were looking for a drummer – would I be interested? I said yes and he told me that the band was Andrew Rankine’s. At the end of the evening Andrew told me he was moving to the North-East, Whitley Bay to be exact, and could he contact me? That was 1964 and so began ten years playing with Andrew’s band locally and all over the UK. We did a tour of the South of England with Alasdair Gillies for which the band was augmented by Jim Johnstone, Charlie Cowie and pianist Bobby Brown. The highlight of that tour was performing in the Albert Hall when one of the acts was a ventriloquist called Ken Swan with his dummy, McGee. Unfortunately some of the audience sat behind the platform so they could see Ken working the dummy.
I did the final weeks of a White Heather Club tour with Andrew and Bobby Brown on the piano. Also in that group were Joe Gordon and Sally Logan, Billy Crocket, singer Colin Stuart and dancers Isobel James and Sandra Adams. It was a circuit of one-night-stands around towns and villages travelling in Andrew’s Volvo and staying in boarding houses. It was hard work. I moved to Whitley Bay and we were joined by an excellent guitarist/vocalist Chris Taylor and worked as a trio – Cordovox, guitar and drum kit. Chris kept right up to date with new songs as they hit the charts. Andrew had all the big hotels in Newcastle tied up but by the mid ‘70’s he decided to go solo with the Cordovox on the ‘Bier Keller’ circuit and move to Leicester. Newcastle, Leicester and Southport were the main venues but there was one in Blackpool I played in for a season. Originally an authentic German accordionist/singer had been brought over and he was a hard act to follow. He could play and sing for hours without a break but that was really hard on your voice. Accordionist Andrew Stoddart from Penicuik and guitarist/vocalist Chris Taylor, mentioned earlier using lots of electronics were also on the circuit, playing a venue for a month then moving on. Incidentally it was listening to Chris that got me started singing,
“Andrew and myself did a summer season based in Inverness. The venues were the Cummins Hotel in Inverness, Ullapool, Kingussie, and Fort William. The group consisted of vocalist Grant Fraser, comedian Johnny Bogan and the Maggie Firth dancers. We did that six nights a week then Andrew and I played in the Nairn Social Club on Sunday evening. The following summer I did the same tour with Bert Shorthouse and Rab Carruthers. After that I went back to Whitley Bay to play with a modern accordionist called Peter Scatterly, a very good player. Peter and I recorded an LP of ballroom dance music which was voted top record of the month by a ballroom dance magazine. After that I did a three week tour with Bert Shorthouse called ‘Search for a Song’ promoted by the Aberdeen Press and Journal. Grampian TV viewers were asked to compose a song and these were performed around different venues in the North East, the West Coast and the Orkneys. The songs were performed by singers Colin Stuart, Maggie Queen and the Marlettes. Some of these songs were so long they had to be shortened or we would have been there yet!
“In the early 70’s I started playing with the Iain MacPhail Band who had taken over many of Andrew Rankine’s Scottish dance gigs in the south. Iain asked me to join the band as he was going to start a summer season in the King James Hotel in Edinburgh in 1974 and I came up to Scotland and stayed with fiddler Alan Johnston’s family that year and for the following two summers before I eventually got this house in Rosewell. In all I did 11 seasons at the King James with Iain then 3 with Alec McPhee’s Band in the Balmoral and the Carlton Highland Hotels. There were a variety of accordionists in Alec’s Band over that time, David Wilson, Carol Farquhar, Iain Skinner and the ‘2 Gordons’ – Hoggan and Wardlaw. In 2002 I restarted gigging with Iain MacPhail but in the intervening years, in fact right through the ‘90’s, I played with Willie Simpson and Gordon Pattullo and a couple of years with Bill Black”.
George is no stranger to overseas gigs either. For 26 years he has accompanied the Neil Barron SDB on their visits to the Far East (always Singapore and occasionally taking in the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Vietnam) and since 2002 he has accompanied Iain MacPhail on his annual South American trip (always Brazil and occasionally taking in Argentina, Uruguay or Chile). Iain did that one solo in 2013 but Brian Griffin got the trip to Kenya so George added the Nairobi St Andrew’s Ball to his CV. He also does trips with Iain’s band and the ‘New Scotland Country Dancers’ from Edinburgh University to ‘Folklore Festivals’ throughout Europe.
Like most top musicians in between all of the above George did ‘one-offs’ with many well-known bands over the years. Thinking back over those years he came up with the following – Neil Barron, Bill Black, Burns Brothers, John Carmichael, Bobby Crowe, James Coutts, Mhairi Coutts, Graham Edwardson, Eric Goodfellow, Jim Johnstone, Lex Keith, Jimmy Lindsay, Bobby MacLeod, Gordon Pattullo, The Pentlands Ceilidh Band, Alan Ross, Willie Simpson, Callum Wilson, The Cullivoe and Da Fustra.
When George left school in 1935 he worked for ‘Dingwall’ in Alnwick, a subsidiary of ‘Hardy’s’ the famous fishing rod and reel people but his part of the business did something slightly different - engine overhauls. At 17 he joined the N.C.B. at ‘Whittle’ Colliery and spent the next five years as an engineering apprentice before transferring as a fully qualified engineer to nearly Shilbottle Colliery. In all he spent 11 years underground. In 1980 George rejoined the N.C.B. this time at their Newtongrange Area Workshop, again as an engineer, where he worked till its closure in 1985. Outwith those dates, other than the odd job here and there, he has been a full-time musician.
At 83, George remains a cheerful, enthusiastic individual who likes nothing better than a tune and a good blether. He’s a regular attender at nearby Peebles Accordion Club, but can pop up anywhere, for example I met him at Ian Holmes final guest spot at Islesteps Club in January of this year. He still plays regularly with Iain MacPhail travelling all over the country playing for general and Scottish Country dancing. Would he change anything if he could live life all over again – “probably not” he answered and what is it that keeps him going “Mixing with young people through music. They don’t think about age, so I don’t either”. And finally what is his philosophy – “Always look ahead and treat people the way you like to be treated yourself”. Well said George.
Allan Kindness (27/03/1936 – 1/7/2014) (Obituary)
by Ian Lees
A capacity crowd was present in Perth Crematorium on Wednesday, 9th July, to bid farewell to one of Scotland’s most prolific bandleaders – Allan Kindness, leader of the Glendaruel Band, who passed away suddenly on July 1st. Just the weekend before, Allan and Gladys had been present at the Armed Forces’ Day Parade in Stirling with daughter Alison.
Born in the Scottish Borders, Allan and his family moved up to the Dunning area of Perthshire, and he attended Auchterarder High School, where a lifelong friendship was formed with the late John Napier, founder of Perth Strathspey & Reel Society. Allan always loved Scottish musicand bought his first button-key accordion at the age of 15. He taught himself how to play, and indeed, how to read music.
Allan spent a number of years at sea, before returning to the Perth area to take up a post with General Accident Insurance. Here he met a young lady by the name of Gladys Annand. The pair married on October 13th, 1962, and Gladys was to be a stalwart and rock to Allan throughout their married life. In the early days, she would assist Allan’s musical development by taping Scottish music from the radio, from where he would learn the tunes!
Allan and Gladys had three children; Alison, followed by twins Gillian and Graham, but Graham tragically passed away at the age of 11.
Allan’s Glendaruel Band was not the original band bearing that title; Tony Reid led the first Glendaruel Band, but he had ceased to broadcast before Allan assumed the name. Allan’s first band was formed in the early 1960’s, and for the next 30 years, they were extremely busy playing at Country Dances, weddings and other social functions, not only in the Perth area, but all over the U.K. Indeed, Allan was known to drive as far as Leicester to play at a Country Dance, then jump in the car to drive straight home again, reaching Perth between 5 and 6 a.m. Bearing in mind that this happened before the age of mobile ‘phones, Gladys antennae always ensured that the boiled eggs for breakfast awaited Allan on his return!
Allan played, broadcast and recorded alongside many talented musicians, but he was also well known for taking on board promising youngsters and assisting them with their craft. Players such as Gary Mair, Neil Copeland, Mo and Ann Rutherford, and Allan’s own niece, Fiona Ballantine, all benefited from Allan’s expertise. Mo actually played the organ at her ‘uncle’ Allan’s funeral service, a promise that had been made many years ago. Mo rattled off the reel Gladys Kindness, the tune Allan had composed for his wife.
Allan was no mean composer either, and many of his tunes have received wide acclaim. The jig Christian Cato is the original tune for the popular RSCDS dance, Pelorous Jack, whilst another jig, Allanna Creighton, serves the same purpose for the dance James Gray. Many other excellent tunes were written for family and friends, but one of significance has to be the pipe march, Scottish Week in Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg is Perth’s twin town in Bavaria, and Allan and Gladys were involved with the Twinning Association over a number of years.
Allan suffered from two heart attacks, and after the second in 1988, decided to give up playing, but continued to attend Accordion Clubs and Festivals to catch up with his cronies. He was not a fan of the more up-to-date musical arrangements that perhaps demanded a faster tempo, a greater use of syncopation, and more modern ideas. Allan preferred the steady, traditional RSCDS tempo that was his great forte and trademark over the years, standing by his principles until the very end. He was also an avid listener to Radio Tay, especially the programmes of fellow presenter Billy Anderson and myself, often corresponding with comments, or requests for other people.
Apart from music, Allan loved gardening, he and Gladys possibly boasting one of the prettiest ‘cottage’ gardens in Perthshire. The couple also enjoyed many excellent holidays and more recently, Allan and Gladys hankered back to the area of his birth – the Scottish Borders, so that we could say that he went ‘full circle’. There is no question that Allan lived life to the full, even when his life was not quite as good.
I had the pleasure of meeting Allan and Gladys on a number of occasions, finding him to be a warm, gentle and interesting individual who will be sadly missed.
Our condolences go to Gladys, Alison, Gill and the wider family, with many happy memories of Allan.
The 12th Angus Accordion & Fiddle Festival
Lairg Music Festival
Country & Western Meets Traditional Scottish Music
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, Saturday 21st June 2014
by
A warm welcome for Moray Firth Radio’s former……………..
See Hear! with Bill Brown
CD Reviews
The Susie Simpson SDB – Bryans Room Recordings – BRCD080
Il Fisarmonicista – Graham Geddes – Review by Rob Howard
DVD Reviews
In Tune with John Crawford – A Point to Shoot Production – JCDVD101
Book Review
The Call of Home – Ian Robertson – Reviewed by Nicol McLaren
Take the Floor – Saturday Evenings 19.05 – 21.00 with Robbie Shepherd (repeated on Sunday’s 13.05 – 15.00)
6th Sept 2014 - Robert Nairn & his Highland Country Band
13th Sept 2104 - Alan Crookston SDB
20th Sept 2014 - Alexander Lindsay SDB
27th Sept 2014 - Archive Session
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Old Machar RBL) – 30th Sept 2014 – Matthew MacLennan Trio
Alnwick (The Farrier’s Arms – Shilbottle) 10th Sept 2014 – Nicol McLaren SDB
Annan (St Andrew’s Social Club) - 21st Sept 2014 – Iain Cathcart Trio
Arbroath (Viewfield Hotel) - 7th Sept 2014 – Jim Lindsay Duo
Balloch (St. Kessog’s Church Hall) – 21st Sept 2014 – Kyle Innes Trio
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) –
Banff & District (Banff Springs Hotel) – 23rd Sept 2014 – Roddy Matthews SDB
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) – 15th Sept 2014 – Iain Cathcart SDB
Biggar (Municipal Hall) – 14th Sept 2014 – Andrew Gibb SDB
Blairgowrie (Moorfield Hotel) - 9th Sept 2014 – Dundee S&R Society
Button Key (Windygates Institute) – 11th Sept 2014 – The Crusaders
Campsie (Glazert Country House Hotel) - 2nd Sept 2014 – The Occasionals
Carlisle (St Margaret Mary Social Club) - 4th Sept 2014 – David Oswald Trio
Castle Douglas (Urr Valley Country House Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Ian Muir Trio
Coalburn (Miners’ Welfare) - 18th Sept 2014 – Iain MacPhail SDB
Crieff & District (Crieff Hotel)
Dalriada (Argyll Inn, Lochgilphead) -
Dingwall (National Hotel) – 3rd Sept 2014 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Dunblane (Victoria Hall) – 17th Sept 2014 – Nicol McLaren SDB
Dunfermline (Headwell Bowling Club) – 9th Sept 2014 – Lomond Ceilidh Band
Duns (Royal British Legion Club, Langtongate) 15th Sept 2014 – Ian Cruickshanks Trio
Ellon (Station Hotel) – 23rd Sept 2014 – Lynn McConnachie SDB
Fintry (Fintry Sports Centre) –
Forfar (Plough Inn) - 28th Sept 2014 – James Coutts Trio
Forres (Victoria Hotel) – 10th Sept 2014 – Jim Cleland SDB
Galashiels (Abbotsford Arms Hotel) –
Glendale (The Glendale Hall) - 25th Sept 2014 – Andy Kain Trio
Glenfarg (Lomond Hotel) -
Gretna (Athlitic & Social Club) - 7th Sept 2014 – Lyne Valley Band
Haddington (Railway Inn) - 14th Sept 2014 – Lindsay Weir SDB
Highland (Waterside Hotel) – 15th Sept 2014 – Bon Accords
Inveraray (Argyll Hotel) -
Isle of Skye – (The Royal Hotel, Portree) -
Islesteps (The Embassy Hotel) – 2nd Sept 2014 – Ian Muir Trio
Kelso (Cross Keys Hotel) – 24th Sept 2014 – Ian Cruickshanks Trio
Ladybank (Ladybank Tavern) - 18th Sept 2014 – Jack Delaney SDB
Lanark (Ravenstruther Hall) - 21st Sept 2014 – Bob Liddell SDB
Langholm (Eskdale Hotel) – 10th Sept 2014 – Stuart McKeown Trio
Lewis & Harris (Stornoway Legion) - 5th Sept 2014 – 20th Anniversary Celebrations
Livingston (Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn) 16th Sept 2014 – David Vernon
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) -
Mauchline (Harry Lyle Suite) -
Montrose (Park Hotel) – 3rd Sept 2014 – Billy Anderson & Albany
Newburgh (Adbie Hall) - 24th Sept 2014 – Clappy Doo Ceilidh Band
Newmill-on-Teviot / Teviotdale (Buccleugh Bowling Club) 21st Sept 2014 – Open Day
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 29th Sept 2014 – Matthew MacLennan Trio
North East (Royal British Legion, Keith) –
Northern (Lylehill Suite, Templepatrick, N.I.) -
Oban (The Argyllshire Gathering) –
Orkney (Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall) –
Peebles (Rugby Social Club) –
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Renfrew (Masonic Hall, Broadloan) –
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel) - 4th Sept 2014 – Maggie Adamson & Brian Nicholson
Seghill (Old Comrades Club) - 2nd Sept 2014 – Leonard Brown Trio 9th & 16th & 23rd Sept – Club Nights 30th Sept – Callum Wilson SDB
Shetland (Shetland Hotel, Lerwick) - 18th Sept 2014 – Club Night
Stonehouse (Stonehouse Violet Football Social Club) -
Thornhill (Bowling Club Hall) -
Thurso (Pentland Hotel) –
Turriff (Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown) – 4th Sept 2014 – Nicola Auchnie & Friends
Tynedale (Hexham Ex Service Club) – 18th Sept 2014 – Robert Whitehead SDB
Uist & Benbecula (C of S Hall, Griminish) - 20th Sept 2014 – Ceilidh Night
West Barnes (West Barnes Inn)
Wick (MacKay’s Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Bon Accords
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Arbroath
3. Banff
4. Beith
5. Biggar
6. Button-Key
7. Campsie
8. Castle Douglas
9. Coalburn
10. Dingwall
11. Fintry
12. Forfar
13. Forres
14. Isle of Skye
15. Kelso
16. Ladybank
17. Lanark
18. Lewis & Harris
19. Livingston
20. Lockerbie
21. Mauchline
22. Newburgh
23. North East
24. Orkney
25. Peebles
26. Perth
27. Renfrew
28. Turriff
29. Tynedale
30. Wick
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT OCT 2013
(Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports or in the Club Diary above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975 – present)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Aug 1975 – present)
3. Annan A&F Club (joined Assoc in 1996 but started 1985 – present)
4. Arbroath A&F Club (1991? – present)
5. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue – present)
6. Banchory A&F Club (1978 – present)
7. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973 – present)
8. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition – present)
9. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974 – present)
10. Blairgowrie A&F Club (
11. Button Key A&F Club (
12. Campsie A&F Club (Nov 95 – present)
13. Carlisle A&F Club (joined Sept 1993 -
14. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980 – present)
15. Coalburn A&F Club (
16. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
17. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
18. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
19. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971 – present)
20. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
21. Duns A&F Club (formed 20th Sept 04 – present)
22. Ellon A&F Club (
23. Fintry A&F Club (Dec 1972 – reformed Jan 1980 – present)
24. Forfar A&F Club (
25. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
26. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
27. Glendale A&F Club (Jan 1973 – present)
28. Glenfarg A&F Club (formed 1988 joined Assoc Mar 95 -
29. Gretna A&F Club (1991) Known as North Cumbria A&F Club previously (originally called Gretna when started in June 1966 but later had to move to venues in the North of England and changed name. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
30. Haddington A&F Club (formed Feb 2005 - )
31. Highland A&F Club (Inverness) (Nov 1973 – present)
32. Inveraray A&F Club (Feb 1991 - present)
33. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981 – present – n.b. evolved from the original Dumfries Club)
34. Isle of Skye A&F Club (June 1983 – present)
35. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976 – present)
36. Ladybank A&F Club (joined Apr 98 but formed earlier
37. Lanark A&F Club (joined Sept 96 – closed March 2015)
38. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967 - present)
39. Lewis & Harris A&F Club (Aug 1994 -
40. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – present)
41 Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973 - present)
42 Mauchline A&F Club (Sept 1983 - present)
43 Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
44 Newmill-on-Teviot (Hawick) (Formed late 1988 joined Assoc 1999 - closed March 2016)
45 Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1977 - present)
46. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971 - present)
47. Northern A&F Club (Sept 2011 -
48. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975 - present)
49. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978 - present)
50. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981 - present)
51. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970 - present)
52. Renfrew A&F Club (1984 -
53. Rothbury Accordion Club (7th Feb 1974) orig called Coquetdale
54. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978 - present)
55 Stonehouse A&F Club (first report June 05 -
56 Thurso A&F Club (Oct 1981 - present)
57 Turriff A&F Club (1st April 1982 - present)
58 Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980 - present)
58 Uist & Benbecula A&F Club (Dec 2007 but formed 1994 -
60 West Barnes ( - present)
61 Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975 - present)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
62. Araharacle & District A&F Club (cMay 1988)
63. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months) Last meeting May 2010
64. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition) Closed
65. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
66. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
67. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
68. Brigmill A&F Club (Oct 1990) Closed
69. Britannia B&F Club ( joined 07-08 but much older
70. Bromley A&F Club (joined 95-96 – closed early 08-09)
71. Buchan A&F Club
72. Callander A&F Club (
73. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
74. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
75. Club Accord
76. Coldingham A&F Club (Nov 2008 – cFeb 2014)
77 Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2? – became Rothbury?)
78. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
79. Crathes (aka Scottish Accordion Music – Crathes) (Nov 1997 -
80. Cults A & F Club (
81. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
82. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
83. Derwentside A&F Club
84. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
85. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
86. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
87. Dundee & District A&F Club (January 1971 – 1995?)
88. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
89. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980 – Closed 04/05)
90. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
91. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
92. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
93. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
94. Glenrothes A&F Club (Mar 93? – left the Assoc c2013)
95. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
96. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
97. Islay A&F Club (23 Apr 93 -
98. Kintore A&F Club (
99. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
100. Lauder A&F Club (May 2010 -
101. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
102. M.A.F.I.A. (1966 – 1993?)
103. Maine Valley A&F Club (
104. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
105. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
106. Muirhead A&F Club (Dec 1994 -
107. Mull A&F Club
108. Newcastleton Accordion Club
109. Newburgh A&F Club (joined 2002 but founded much earlier – closed April 2011 when venue closed)
110. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
111. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
112. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club (closed April 1992 – per Sept Editorial)
113. Premier A&F Club NI (April 1980)
114. Phoenix A&F Club, Ardrishaig (Dec 2004 -
115. Reading Scottish Fiddlers (cMarch 1997
116. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
117. Selkirk A&F Club (
118. Stirling A&F Club (Oct 1991 – closed 20000/01?)
119. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
120. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
121 Sutherland A&F Club (Nov 1982 -
122 Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition – closed April 2014)
123. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
124. Tranent A&F Club
125. Vancouver
126. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
127. Wellbank A&F Club
128. Yarrow (prev known as Etterick & Yarrow) (Jan 1989 – closed 2001/02)
Advertising rates
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Full Page (colour) - £220
Full Page (b&w) - £140
Half Page (colour) - £110
Half Page (b&w) - £70
Quarter Page (colour) - £55
Quarter Page (b&w) - £35
Eighth Page - £18
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B&F Treasurer – Charlie Todd, Thankerton
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time-consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
Marie and I have been working hard over the last couple of months and hope you like the new format and look. I for one………..
Guest Artiste of the Year – Gordon Pattullo & Gemma Donald
CD of the Year – The Strathcarron Collection – Janet Graham SDB
Club Supporter of the Year – Derek Hamilton
Club of the Year – Coalburn A&F Club
Pia Walker
NAAFC Chairman’s Report
By Nicol McLaren
The past year has been a very demanding one……….
George Darling
by Charlie Todd
A tidy terraced cottage in a ‘miners row’ in the quaint Mid Lothian village of Rosewell, near Bonnyrigg, has been home for the past 30 years to George Darling. But how did an Englishman from a totally non musical family, born on the land but trained as a coal mining engineer, become one of the best known and respected drummers in the Scottish dance band scene? To find out the answers I met up with George at his home one February afternoon.
George was born on 24th May, 1931 in Newcastle before being taken to the family home at Low Buston Farm near Alnwick. Along with brother Jim, five years his senior, he attended Walkworth School till the age of 14 by which time they had moved to neighbouring farm, High Buston. Neither dad, Ralph, nor mum Millie, were musical although Millie had been a good dancer in he young days but I’ll let George take up the story : “During 1940 the military took over the Estate opposite the farm and eventually the Gordon Highlanders arrived. After a few days I heard the pipes playing so off I went to see and hear what was going on, complete with round specs and wellies. After a while I wandered about the camp almost unhindered. Sometimes the soldiers would hide me in a truck or a bren-gun carrier and give me a wee hurl – great fun for a young laddie.
“Anyway, by this time I knew where the drums were kept so I would sneak in and rattle a drum with an old pair of sticks I got off a woman on the farm who’s son played, but tragically, had been killed at Dunkirk. Occasionally a soldier would chase me telling me in the strange Aberdeen dialect (to me anyway) not to come back. This went on for a while until one day a soldier arrived at my house asking for me. He said they were tired of chasing me so they would teach me if that was okay! So real drumming lessons began. An Aberdonian drummer took me once a week when his duties allowed. However the day came when they were posted away. By good fortune though it was the Argyll’s who followed, also complete with pipe band, and to my surprise a soldier arrived at the house. He said they had been told about me and would continue to teach me. Inevitably the day came when they were posted too, so I said my sad farewells and went off to school. When I came home my mother told me to look in the outhouse. That morning one of the bandsmen had come to the house and left me an old drum. So with this and a hard backed book (there were no practice pads in those days) I made my folks life a misery.
“Moving on, when I was fifteen, in 1946, I joined a Boys Club and there I met two lads my own age, Bryce Anderson and John Thompson, who played accordions so after a while we started a band. By this time we had been joined by another young accordionist, Peter Andrucci, but his bellows leaked so much we were catching colds, so we persuaded him to play the piano (when playable anyway). Under the name ‘The Minstrel Boys’ we started playing at local dances.
In those days Friday night dances finished at 2 a.m. but sometimes they would ask the band to play on for another hour and the dancers would have a collection round the hall for the band. Sometimes that collection came to more than the original band fee! Incidentally the going rate in those days was £1 on Friday nights and 15 bob on Saturdays.
A highlight was always if a Scottish dance band came down to play in Alnwick (Shand, Fitchet and MacLeod were the favourites). In those days dances didn’t stop for an interval. The band members either took their break on a rota or locals were asked to play and we were often asked to do this, which was great because it got us in and tickets were like gold dust. I got a lot of encouragement from Angus Fitchet and his drummer. Fitchet and MacLeod always let me play two or three dances with their bands. I also had a lot of help from ‘Pibroch’ Mackenzie, Bobby MacLeod’s fiddler who was also a very talented pipe band drummer.
“After two or three years we applied to audition with the BBC for a ‘Barn Dance’ music programme that went out all over England. By this time we had been joined by Willie Millar, a fiddler, and we engaged a session bass player from Newcastle. We passed at the second attempt but the BBC changed the name of our band to ‘The Cheviot Ranters’. Since the music was broadcast nationwide they liked the band’s name to give an indication of where they came from. There were only a few other bands doing this so we did about one a month from the fictional ‘Windyhope Farm’ (in Scotland you had ‘Down at the Mains’ - same idea). Jack Armstrong’s Barnstormers were another of the regular bands and there was a chap Adamson from Carlisle. In 1955 we also did a one-off TV programme from Alnmouth Boys Club which amazingly enough went out on prime time TV – 8 p.m. on a Saturday evening. The critics hammered it in the newspapers though – they called it hill-billy music. Incidentally there were complaints from the BBC up north if we played too many Scottish tunes. So we had to use lots of hornpipes and Irish tunes and Felix Burns compositions.
“I was with this band for roughly twelve years, then I decided to try something different, so I did the Working Men’s Club scene for a few years. Then a friend came to see me one day and said a Scottish Band was playing locally on the Friday evening and they were looking for a drummer – would I be interested? I said yes and he told me that the band was Andrew Rankine’s. At the end of the evening Andrew told me he was moving to the North-East, Whitley Bay to be exact, and could he contact me? That was 1964 and so began ten years playing with Andrew’s band locally and all over the UK. We did a tour of the South of England with Alasdair Gillies for which the band was augmented by Jim Johnstone, Charlie Cowie and pianist Bobby Brown. The highlight of that tour was performing in the Albert Hall when one of the acts was a ventriloquist called Ken Swan with his dummy, McGee. Unfortunately some of the audience sat behind the platform so they could see Ken working the dummy.
I did the final weeks of a White Heather Club tour with Andrew and Bobby Brown on the piano. Also in that group were Joe Gordon and Sally Logan, Billy Crocket, singer Colin Stuart and dancers Isobel James and Sandra Adams. It was a circuit of one-night-stands around towns and villages travelling in Andrew’s Volvo and staying in boarding houses. It was hard work. I moved to Whitley Bay and we were joined by an excellent guitarist/vocalist Chris Taylor and worked as a trio – Cordovox, guitar and drum kit. Chris kept right up to date with new songs as they hit the charts. Andrew had all the big hotels in Newcastle tied up but by the mid ‘70’s he decided to go solo with the Cordovox on the ‘Bier Keller’ circuit and move to Leicester. Newcastle, Leicester and Southport were the main venues but there was one in Blackpool I played in for a season. Originally an authentic German accordionist/singer had been brought over and he was a hard act to follow. He could play and sing for hours without a break but that was really hard on your voice. Accordionist Andrew Stoddart from Penicuik and guitarist/vocalist Chris Taylor, mentioned earlier using lots of electronics were also on the circuit, playing a venue for a month then moving on. Incidentally it was listening to Chris that got me started singing,
“Andrew and myself did a summer season based in Inverness. The venues were the Cummins Hotel in Inverness, Ullapool, Kingussie, and Fort William. The group consisted of vocalist Grant Fraser, comedian Johnny Bogan and the Maggie Firth dancers. We did that six nights a week then Andrew and I played in the Nairn Social Club on Sunday evening. The following summer I did the same tour with Bert Shorthouse and Rab Carruthers. After that I went back to Whitley Bay to play with a modern accordionist called Peter Scatterly, a very good player. Peter and I recorded an LP of ballroom dance music which was voted top record of the month by a ballroom dance magazine. After that I did a three week tour with Bert Shorthouse called ‘Search for a Song’ promoted by the Aberdeen Press and Journal. Grampian TV viewers were asked to compose a song and these were performed around different venues in the North East, the West Coast and the Orkneys. The songs were performed by singers Colin Stuart, Maggie Queen and the Marlettes. Some of these songs were so long they had to be shortened or we would have been there yet!
“In the early 70’s I started playing with the Iain MacPhail Band who had taken over many of Andrew Rankine’s Scottish dance gigs in the south. Iain asked me to join the band as he was going to start a summer season in the King James Hotel in Edinburgh in 1974 and I came up to Scotland and stayed with fiddler Alan Johnston’s family that year and for the following two summers before I eventually got this house in Rosewell. In all I did 11 seasons at the King James with Iain then 3 with Alec McPhee’s Band in the Balmoral and the Carlton Highland Hotels. There were a variety of accordionists in Alec’s Band over that time, David Wilson, Carol Farquhar, Iain Skinner and the ‘2 Gordons’ – Hoggan and Wardlaw. In 2002 I restarted gigging with Iain MacPhail but in the intervening years, in fact right through the ‘90’s, I played with Willie Simpson and Gordon Pattullo and a couple of years with Bill Black”.
George is no stranger to overseas gigs either. For 26 years he has accompanied the Neil Barron SDB on their visits to the Far East (always Singapore and occasionally taking in the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Vietnam) and since 2002 he has accompanied Iain MacPhail on his annual South American trip (always Brazil and occasionally taking in Argentina, Uruguay or Chile). Iain did that one solo in 2013 but Brian Griffin got the trip to Kenya so George added the Nairobi St Andrew’s Ball to his CV. He also does trips with Iain’s band and the ‘New Scotland Country Dancers’ from Edinburgh University to ‘Folklore Festivals’ throughout Europe.
Like most top musicians in between all of the above George did ‘one-offs’ with many well-known bands over the years. Thinking back over those years he came up with the following – Neil Barron, Bill Black, Burns Brothers, John Carmichael, Bobby Crowe, James Coutts, Mhairi Coutts, Graham Edwardson, Eric Goodfellow, Jim Johnstone, Lex Keith, Jimmy Lindsay, Bobby MacLeod, Gordon Pattullo, The Pentlands Ceilidh Band, Alan Ross, Willie Simpson, Callum Wilson, The Cullivoe and Da Fustra.
When George left school in 1935 he worked for ‘Dingwall’ in Alnwick, a subsidiary of ‘Hardy’s’ the famous fishing rod and reel people but his part of the business did something slightly different - engine overhauls. At 17 he joined the N.C.B. at ‘Whittle’ Colliery and spent the next five years as an engineering apprentice before transferring as a fully qualified engineer to nearly Shilbottle Colliery. In all he spent 11 years underground. In 1980 George rejoined the N.C.B. this time at their Newtongrange Area Workshop, again as an engineer, where he worked till its closure in 1985. Outwith those dates, other than the odd job here and there, he has been a full-time musician.
At 83, George remains a cheerful, enthusiastic individual who likes nothing better than a tune and a good blether. He’s a regular attender at nearby Peebles Accordion Club, but can pop up anywhere, for example I met him at Ian Holmes final guest spot at Islesteps Club in January of this year. He still plays regularly with Iain MacPhail travelling all over the country playing for general and Scottish Country dancing. Would he change anything if he could live life all over again – “probably not” he answered and what is it that keeps him going “Mixing with young people through music. They don’t think about age, so I don’t either”. And finally what is his philosophy – “Always look ahead and treat people the way you like to be treated yourself”. Well said George.
Allan Kindness (27/03/1936 – 1/7/2014) (Obituary)
by Ian Lees
A capacity crowd was present in Perth Crematorium on Wednesday, 9th July, to bid farewell to one of Scotland’s most prolific bandleaders – Allan Kindness, leader of the Glendaruel Band, who passed away suddenly on July 1st. Just the weekend before, Allan and Gladys had been present at the Armed Forces’ Day Parade in Stirling with daughter Alison.
Born in the Scottish Borders, Allan and his family moved up to the Dunning area of Perthshire, and he attended Auchterarder High School, where a lifelong friendship was formed with the late John Napier, founder of Perth Strathspey & Reel Society. Allan always loved Scottish musicand bought his first button-key accordion at the age of 15. He taught himself how to play, and indeed, how to read music.
Allan spent a number of years at sea, before returning to the Perth area to take up a post with General Accident Insurance. Here he met a young lady by the name of Gladys Annand. The pair married on October 13th, 1962, and Gladys was to be a stalwart and rock to Allan throughout their married life. In the early days, she would assist Allan’s musical development by taping Scottish music from the radio, from where he would learn the tunes!
Allan and Gladys had three children; Alison, followed by twins Gillian and Graham, but Graham tragically passed away at the age of 11.
Allan’s Glendaruel Band was not the original band bearing that title; Tony Reid led the first Glendaruel Band, but he had ceased to broadcast before Allan assumed the name. Allan’s first band was formed in the early 1960’s, and for the next 30 years, they were extremely busy playing at Country Dances, weddings and other social functions, not only in the Perth area, but all over the U.K. Indeed, Allan was known to drive as far as Leicester to play at a Country Dance, then jump in the car to drive straight home again, reaching Perth between 5 and 6 a.m. Bearing in mind that this happened before the age of mobile ‘phones, Gladys antennae always ensured that the boiled eggs for breakfast awaited Allan on his return!
Allan played, broadcast and recorded alongside many talented musicians, but he was also well known for taking on board promising youngsters and assisting them with their craft. Players such as Gary Mair, Neil Copeland, Mo and Ann Rutherford, and Allan’s own niece, Fiona Ballantine, all benefited from Allan’s expertise. Mo actually played the organ at her ‘uncle’ Allan’s funeral service, a promise that had been made many years ago. Mo rattled off the reel Gladys Kindness, the tune Allan had composed for his wife.
Allan was no mean composer either, and many of his tunes have received wide acclaim. The jig Christian Cato is the original tune for the popular RSCDS dance, Pelorous Jack, whilst another jig, Allanna Creighton, serves the same purpose for the dance James Gray. Many other excellent tunes were written for family and friends, but one of significance has to be the pipe march, Scottish Week in Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg is Perth’s twin town in Bavaria, and Allan and Gladys were involved with the Twinning Association over a number of years.
Allan suffered from two heart attacks, and after the second in 1988, decided to give up playing, but continued to attend Accordion Clubs and Festivals to catch up with his cronies. He was not a fan of the more up-to-date musical arrangements that perhaps demanded a faster tempo, a greater use of syncopation, and more modern ideas. Allan preferred the steady, traditional RSCDS tempo that was his great forte and trademark over the years, standing by his principles until the very end. He was also an avid listener to Radio Tay, especially the programmes of fellow presenter Billy Anderson and myself, often corresponding with comments, or requests for other people.
Apart from music, Allan loved gardening, he and Gladys possibly boasting one of the prettiest ‘cottage’ gardens in Perthshire. The couple also enjoyed many excellent holidays and more recently, Allan and Gladys hankered back to the area of his birth – the Scottish Borders, so that we could say that he went ‘full circle’. There is no question that Allan lived life to the full, even when his life was not quite as good.
I had the pleasure of meeting Allan and Gladys on a number of occasions, finding him to be a warm, gentle and interesting individual who will be sadly missed.
Our condolences go to Gladys, Alison, Gill and the wider family, with many happy memories of Allan.
The 12th Angus Accordion & Fiddle Festival
Lairg Music Festival
Country & Western Meets Traditional Scottish Music
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, Saturday 21st June 2014
by
A warm welcome for Moray Firth Radio’s former……………..
See Hear! with Bill Brown
CD Reviews
The Susie Simpson SDB – Bryans Room Recordings – BRCD080
Il Fisarmonicista – Graham Geddes – Review by Rob Howard
DVD Reviews
In Tune with John Crawford – A Point to Shoot Production – JCDVD101
Book Review
The Call of Home – Ian Robertson – Reviewed by Nicol McLaren
Take the Floor – Saturday Evenings 19.05 – 21.00 with Robbie Shepherd (repeated on Sunday’s 13.05 – 15.00)
6th Sept 2014 - Robert Nairn & his Highland Country Band
13th Sept 2104 - Alan Crookston SDB
20th Sept 2014 - Alexander Lindsay SDB
27th Sept 2014 - Archive Session
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Old Machar RBL) – 30th Sept 2014 – Matthew MacLennan Trio
Alnwick (The Farrier’s Arms – Shilbottle) 10th Sept 2014 – Nicol McLaren SDB
Annan (St Andrew’s Social Club) - 21st Sept 2014 – Iain Cathcart Trio
Arbroath (Viewfield Hotel) - 7th Sept 2014 – Jim Lindsay Duo
Balloch (St. Kessog’s Church Hall) – 21st Sept 2014 – Kyle Innes Trio
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) –
Banff & District (Banff Springs Hotel) – 23rd Sept 2014 – Roddy Matthews SDB
Beith & District (Anderson Hotel) – 15th Sept 2014 – Iain Cathcart SDB
Biggar (Municipal Hall) – 14th Sept 2014 – Andrew Gibb SDB
Blairgowrie (Moorfield Hotel) - 9th Sept 2014 – Dundee S&R Society
Button Key (Windygates Institute) – 11th Sept 2014 – The Crusaders
Campsie (Glazert Country House Hotel) - 2nd Sept 2014 – The Occasionals
Carlisle (St Margaret Mary Social Club) - 4th Sept 2014 – David Oswald Trio
Castle Douglas (Urr Valley Country House Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Ian Muir Trio
Coalburn (Miners’ Welfare) - 18th Sept 2014 – Iain MacPhail SDB
Crieff & District (Crieff Hotel)
Dalriada (Argyll Inn, Lochgilphead) -
Dingwall (National Hotel) – 3rd Sept 2014 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Dunblane (Victoria Hall) – 17th Sept 2014 – Nicol McLaren SDB
Dunfermline (Headwell Bowling Club) – 9th Sept 2014 – Lomond Ceilidh Band
Duns (Royal British Legion Club, Langtongate) 15th Sept 2014 – Ian Cruickshanks Trio
Ellon (Station Hotel) – 23rd Sept 2014 – Lynn McConnachie SDB
Fintry (Fintry Sports Centre) –
Forfar (Plough Inn) - 28th Sept 2014 – James Coutts Trio
Forres (Victoria Hotel) – 10th Sept 2014 – Jim Cleland SDB
Galashiels (Abbotsford Arms Hotel) –
Glendale (The Glendale Hall) - 25th Sept 2014 – Andy Kain Trio
Glenfarg (Lomond Hotel) -
Gretna (Athlitic & Social Club) - 7th Sept 2014 – Lyne Valley Band
Haddington (Railway Inn) - 14th Sept 2014 – Lindsay Weir SDB
Highland (Waterside Hotel) – 15th Sept 2014 – Bon Accords
Inveraray (Argyll Hotel) -
Isle of Skye – (The Royal Hotel, Portree) -
Islesteps (The Embassy Hotel) – 2nd Sept 2014 – Ian Muir Trio
Kelso (Cross Keys Hotel) – 24th Sept 2014 – Ian Cruickshanks Trio
Ladybank (Ladybank Tavern) - 18th Sept 2014 – Jack Delaney SDB
Lanark (Ravenstruther Hall) - 21st Sept 2014 – Bob Liddell SDB
Langholm (Eskdale Hotel) – 10th Sept 2014 – Stuart McKeown Trio
Lewis & Harris (Stornoway Legion) - 5th Sept 2014 – 20th Anniversary Celebrations
Livingston (Hilcroft Hotel, Whitburn) 16th Sept 2014 – David Vernon
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) -
Mauchline (Harry Lyle Suite) -
Montrose (Park Hotel) – 3rd Sept 2014 – Billy Anderson & Albany
Newburgh (Adbie Hall) - 24th Sept 2014 – Clappy Doo Ceilidh Band
Newmill-on-Teviot / Teviotdale (Buccleugh Bowling Club) 21st Sept 2014 – Open Day
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 29th Sept 2014 – Matthew MacLennan Trio
North East (Royal British Legion, Keith) –
Northern (Lylehill Suite, Templepatrick, N.I.) -
Oban (The Argyllshire Gathering) –
Orkney (Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall) –
Peebles (Rugby Social Club) –
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Graeme Mitchell SDB
Renfrew (Masonic Hall, Broadloan) –
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel) - 4th Sept 2014 – Maggie Adamson & Brian Nicholson
Seghill (Old Comrades Club) - 2nd Sept 2014 – Leonard Brown Trio 9th & 16th & 23rd Sept – Club Nights 30th Sept – Callum Wilson SDB
Shetland (Shetland Hotel, Lerwick) - 18th Sept 2014 – Club Night
Stonehouse (Stonehouse Violet Football Social Club) -
Thornhill (Bowling Club Hall) -
Thurso (Pentland Hotel) –
Turriff (Commercial Hotel, Cuminestown) – 4th Sept 2014 – Nicola Auchnie & Friends
Tynedale (Hexham Ex Service Club) – 18th Sept 2014 – Robert Whitehead SDB
Uist & Benbecula (C of S Hall, Griminish) - 20th Sept 2014 – Ceilidh Night
West Barnes (West Barnes Inn)
Wick (MacKay’s Hotel) – 16th Sept 2014 – Bon Accords
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Arbroath
3. Banff
4. Beith
5. Biggar
6. Button-Key
7. Campsie
8. Castle Douglas
9. Coalburn
10. Dingwall
11. Fintry
12. Forfar
13. Forres
14. Isle of Skye
15. Kelso
16. Ladybank
17. Lanark
18. Lewis & Harris
19. Livingston
20. Lockerbie
21. Mauchline
22. Newburgh
23. North East
24. Orkney
25. Peebles
26. Perth
27. Renfrew
28. Turriff
29. Tynedale
30. Wick
CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT OCT 2013
(Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports or in the Club Diary above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975 – present)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Aug 1975 – present)
3. Annan A&F Club (joined Assoc in 1996 but started 1985 – present)
4. Arbroath A&F Club (1991? – present)
5. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per January 1978 issue – present)
6. Banchory A&F Club (1978 – present)
7. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973 – present)
8. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1972 – per first edition – present)
9. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974 – present)
10. Blairgowrie A&F Club (
11. Button Key A&F Club (
12. Campsie A&F Club (Nov 95 – present)
13. Carlisle A&F Club (joined Sept 1993 -
14. Castle Douglas A&F Club (c Sept 1980 – present)
15. Coalburn A&F Club (
16. Crieff A&F Club (cSept 1981)
17. Dalriada A&F Club (Feb 1981)
18. Dingwall & District A&F Club (May 1979 – per first report)
19. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971 – present)
20. Dunfermline & District A&F Club (1974 – per first edition)
21. Duns A&F Club (formed 20th Sept 04 – present)
22. Ellon A&F Club (
23. Fintry A&F Club (Dec 1972 – reformed Jan 1980 – present)
24. Forfar A&F Club (
25. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
26. Galashiels A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
27. Glendale A&F Club (Jan 1973 – present)
28. Glenfarg A&F Club (formed 1988 joined Assoc Mar 95 -
29. Gretna A&F Club (1991) Known as North Cumbria A&F Club previously (originally called Gretna when started in June 1966 but later had to move to venues in the North of England and changed name. No breaks in the continuity of the Club)
30. Haddington A&F Club (formed Feb 2005 - )
31. Highland A&F Club (Inverness) (Nov 1973 – present)
32. Inveraray A&F Club (Feb 1991 - present)
33. Islesteps A&F Club (Jan 1981 – present – n.b. evolved from the original Dumfries Club)
34. Isle of Skye A&F Club (June 1983 – present)
35. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976 – present)
36. Ladybank A&F Club (joined Apr 98 but formed earlier
37. Lanark A&F Club (joined Sept 96 – closed March 2015)
38. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967 - present)
39. Lewis & Harris A&F Club (Aug 1994 -
40. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973 – present)
41 Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973 - present)
42 Mauchline A&F Club (Sept 1983 - present)
43 Montrose A&F Club (joined Sept 1982 - present)
44 Newmill-on-Teviot (Hawick) (Formed late 1988 joined Assoc 1999 - closed March 2016)
45 Newtongrange A&F Club (joined Sept 1977 - present)
46. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971 - present)
47. Northern A&F Club (Sept 2011 -
48. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975 - present)
49. Orkney A&F Club (Mar 1978 - present)
50. Peebles A&F Club (26 Nov 1981 - present)
51. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970 - present)
52. Renfrew A&F Club (1984 -
53. Rothbury Accordion Club (7th Feb 1974) orig called Coquetdale
54. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978 - present)
55 Stonehouse A&F Club (first report June 05 -
56 Thurso A&F Club (Oct 1981 - present)
57 Turriff A&F Club (1st April 1982 - present)
58 Tynedale A&F Club (Nov 1980 - present)
58 Uist & Benbecula A&F Club (Dec 2007 but formed 1994 -
60 West Barnes ( - present)
61 Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975 - present)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
62. Araharacle & District A&F Club (cMay 1988)
63. Armadale A&F Club (Oct 1978? or 80) originally called Bathgate Club (for 2 months) Last meeting May 2010
64. Ayr A&F Club (Nov 1983 – per Nov 83 edition) Closed
65. Belford A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
66. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
67. Bridge of Allan (Walmer) A&F Club (Walmer Hotel, Bridge of Allan) (c March 1982)
68. Brigmill A&F Club (Oct 1990) Closed
69. Britannia B&F Club ( joined 07-08 but much older
70. Bromley A&F Club (joined 95-96 – closed early 08-09)
71. Buchan A&F Club
72. Callander A&F Club (
73. Campbeltown & District A&F Club (c Dec 1980)
74. Cleland (cNov 1981 – March 1985) originally called Drumpellier A&F Club (for 2 months)
75. Club Accord
76. Coldingham A&F Club (Nov 2008 – cFeb 2014)
77 Coquetdale A&F Club (Feb 1974 or c1976/77 – 1981/2? – became Rothbury?)
78. Coupar Angus A&F Club (cSept 1978 - ?)
79. Crathes (aka Scottish Accordion Music – Crathes) (Nov 1997 -
80. Cults A & F Club (
81. Cumnock A&F Club (October 1976 - forced to close cDec 1982 - see Jan 83 Editorial)
82. Denny & Dunipace A&F Club (Feb 1981)
83. Derwentside A&F Club
84. Dornoch A&F Club (first mention in directory 1986)
85. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughtons) (April 1965 at the Hole in the Wa’)
86. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
87. Dundee & District A&F Club (January 1971 – 1995?)
88. Dunoon & Cowal A&F Club (
89. East Kilbride A&F Club (Sept 1980 – Closed 04/05)
90. Edinburgh A&F Club (Apr 1981) prev called Chrissie Leatham A&F Club (Oct 1980)
91. Falkirk A&F Club (Sept 1978 - )
92. Fort William A&F Club (21st Oct 1980 – per Dec 1980 B&F)
93. Galston A&F Club (Oct 1969 – per first edition – closed March 2006)
94. Glenrothes A&F Club (Mar 93? – left the Assoc c2013)
95. Gorebridge (cNov 1981) originally called Arniston A&F Club (for 2 months)
96. Greenhead Accordion Club (on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwistle)
97. Islay A&F Club (23 Apr 93 -
98. Kintore A&F Club (
99. Kirriemuir A&F Club (cSept 1981)
100. Lauder A&F Club (May 2010 -
101. Lesmahagow A&F Club (Nov 1979 – closed May 2005)
102. M.A.F.I.A. (1966 – 1993?)
103. Maine Valley A&F Club (
104. Monklands A&F Club (Nov 1978 – closed cApril 1983)
105. Morecambe A&F Club (joined Sept 1982)
106. Muirhead A&F Club (Dec 1994 -
107. Mull A&F Club
108. Newcastleton Accordion Club
109. Newburgh A&F Club (joined 2002 but founded much earlier – closed April 2011 when venue closed)
110. New Cumnock A&F Club (cMarch 1979)
111. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club (17th Oct 1972 see Apr 1984 obituary for Angus Park)
112. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club (closed April 1992 – per Sept Editorial)
113. Premier A&F Club NI (April 1980)
114. Phoenix A&F Club, Ardrishaig (Dec 2004 -
115. Reading Scottish Fiddlers (cMarch 1997
116. Renfrew A&F Club (original club 1974/5 lapsed after a few years then again in 1984)
117. Selkirk A&F Club (
118. Stirling A&F Club (Oct 1991 – closed 20000/01?)
119. Straiton Accordion Club (c1968 – closed March 1979)
120. Stranraer & District Accordion Club (1974 – per first edition)
121 Sutherland A&F Club (Nov 1982 -
122 Thornhill A&F Club (joined Oct 1983 – see Nov 83 edition – closed April 2014)
123. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
124. Tranent A&F Club
125. Vancouver
126. Walmer (Bridge of Allan) A&F Club
127. Wellbank A&F Club
128. Yarrow (prev known as Etterick & Yarrow) (Jan 1989 – closed 2001/02)
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