16th January – Haggardash

Lanarkshire Folk band Haggerdash tops the bill at Irvine Folk Club on Wednesday 16th January at Vineburgh Community Centre. It’s a good choice to have Haggerdash open the 2019 Club year as playing stuff that people can join in with and having fun is what they do.
There are three band members – Jack Bethel, Alan Jones & Billy Stewart and each of them plays a minimum of three instruments. If they bring everything they play, the Club will be festooned with things you can blow, pluck or bash! Pity the ‘Roadie’ if they have one!
Haggerdash really enjoy what they do and that’s probably why they continue to be asked to play clubs and festivals 30 years on after starting out. Whilst there have been a few line-up changes in that time, all the band members have been involved in Folk music for many years, having played with bands such as Setanta, The Govan Spoonful, Three’s A Crowd and Clachnacuddin. In the main, they play songs and tunes from Scotland and Ireland plus a sprinkling of some self-penned items written by band members.
Alan Jones is a former Irvine Folk Club MC in The Redburn years, before he moved to just outside East Kilbride. He plays Concertina, Bouzouki, Guitar, 5-String Banjo and also does lead vocals. Jack Bethel plays Hammer Dulcimer, Fiddle, Whistle and Concertina. Billy Stewart helped found the band and he plays Bouzouki, Guitar, 5-String Banjo, Harmonica, Bodhran and he sings too.
The Elgin Watch is the title of the most recent Haggerdash CD and includes material written by Alan and Billy as well some trad songs and tunes. Haggerdash play at Clubs all over Scotland and do Festivals too including the Portsoy Boat Festival, Glenfarg, Orkney and Marymass.
On Wednesday 16th, Haggerdash will most likely be a three-strong line-up but on occasion they have been known to bring another musician along. Irrespective of that, at the Irvine Club expect Haggerdash to play a mix of contemporary and traditional material with an emphasis on entertaining the audience. The Irvine Club starts at 8pm, it’s BYOB and there’s a very good café.