Battlefield Band - Hotel Warrnambool - 4th Nov. 2013

 International acts frequent the South West on numerous occasions, but a free Monday night gig at a local hotel usually presents an opportunity not to be missed (and a challenge for workers on Tuesday morning). Such was the case on the 4th of November when the Hotel Warrnambool hosted the "Battlefield Band" -- a Scottish traditional music group founded in Glasgow in 1969 and named after the Glasgow suburb of Battlefield..  The band  has released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup and is renowned for its combination of bagpipes with other instruments, most notably on their cover of Bad Moon Rising, and for its mix of traditional songs and new material. Current members are Sean O'Donnell - vocals/guitar,    Ewen Henderson - fiddle/bagpipes/whistles/piano/vocals.   Alasdair White - fiddle/tin whistle/banjo/bouzouki/Highland bagpipes/small pipes/bodhran and  Mike Katz - Highland pipes/small pipes/various whistles/bass guitar/guitar.

Battlefield Band in front of the traditional cigarette machine and underneath the TV (amazingly turned off!)

The crowd reacted enthusiastically to the riotous jigs and reels that punctuated the more sombre ballads. A large contingent of local musicians bore testimony to the legitimacy of the band's claim to play Scottish music of rare passion and joy (see the official website at http://www.battlefieldband.co.uk/about.htm ) . A cameo appearance by a guest piper (Nicola from Camperdown) added some local spice and a dancer whose balance deteriorated in proportion to his alcohol consumption kept punters guessing on the direction of his eventual collapse.

Local musicians in the audience -- John Hudson, Glenn Hudson, Dave Williams, Colin O'Keeffe and Leamon Chambers

Guest piper "Nicola from Camperdown" joins the band