Accordance is a traditional-style ceilidh band based in the Darlington/Northallerton area. The band was formed in 1998 and has just celebrated ten very enjoyable years playing together. Kate and Christine first met in 1993 as musicians for Darlington-based Panhaggerty Women's Morris (now sadly no more). They met Carole at a Folkworks weekend in Darlington in 1997. Hugh was invited to our playing sessions, took over (nominally, at least), and Accordance emerged. Various guest musicians have played with us over the years, and now include Dan and Joe - the second generation, whose youthful enthusiasm infects us all.
Accordance have played at all sorts of venues, indoors and out, from farm kitchen to Whitby Pavilion Main Hall via marquees, village halls, barns, country house hotels, schools, parks ... We've covered an area from Newcastle down to Denby Dale in West Yorkshire, and from Scarborough to Tan Hill, Yorkshire's (and England's) highest pub. Whatever your event - birthday party, anniversary, wedding (and christening!), fund-raising, charity, dance club, children's events, etc - we'll be happy to oblige, and as we consider ourselves to be primarily a community band, you'll find that our charges are reasonable.
We have a wide and varied repertoire of dance tunes - English, American, Playford, Irish and Scottish - to suit all occasions and are constantly adding new tunes, both for dancing and listening. We work with several different callers, all of whom are very experienced in getting even the most reluctant up to dance.
Accordance is also the resident band for Tees Valley Ceilidhs, based in Yarm-on-Tees, on the third Friday of each month. And when not being Accordance, we are also involved with local morris, sword and clog teams, as dancers and musicians.
For more about us, our guest musicians and callers, read on!
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| Carole Millward | fiddle |
|---|---|
| Hugh Pannell | bass guitar, banjo, mandolin |
| Kate Teague | fiddle |
| Christine Williamson | accordion |
Carole played the violin when young but only after attending a Folk Camp weekend at Raskelf in 1997 did she take up the fiddle seriously. As well as playing with Accordance, she is a regular musician for Pengwyn Rapper and has made several guest appearances in other local ceilidh bands.
Hugh started out as an R&B fan and moved into folk through dancing with Richmondshire Morris Men. Before joining Accordance, Hugh played with the nationally-known folk dance band Knotted Chord, and still does occasionally. In Accordance, he usually plays bass guitar, sometimes a tenor banjo, and has been known to carry a mandolin or a mandola to gigs. Since 1988 Hugh and his melodeon have provided the music for Black Sheep Border Morris in Barnard Castle.
Having played with Accordance for 10 years, Kate decided she'd served her sentence and retired from the band in July 2010. A founder member much missed by the other three!
Christine began folk dancing at the age of eight, taken by her mother to early meetings of Worsall Folk Dance Group. Since 1993 she has played the accordion for local north-west morris sides, is currently musician for the Heighington Primary School Dancers, and also dances with Richmond Castle Cloggers.
Dan Millward (bass guitar) and Joe Williamson (guitar, tenor banjo) join us from time to time, especially if we're playing for a young audience and/or if we need a bigger sound. Since March 2008 they also play as the folk/rock band String Theory, with Sinead Wisker on percussion and led by Joe Childs on fiddle.
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To maintain an interesting variety of dances and tunes, and to keep the band awake and vigilant, Accordance works with several different local dance callers. No two evenings are ever the same. Whether you're a complete beginner or have been dancing for decades, our callers are expert at choosing dances to suit, and at telling you what to do and how to be in the right place at the right time.
among our regular callers are
Ian Appleyard, who took us on as a fledgling band and did the initial training
Barry Evans, who sets us challenging new tunes in odd keys and does dances with odd names ('Gerbil carnage'?)
Keith Gregson, an expert on local folk songs and traditions who saved the evening for us one St Patrick's night long ago
Louise MacDougall, a Scottish dance teacher whose energetic ceilidh programmes always have a Scottish flavour
Dave Turner, whose range of dances English and American, old and new (including several of his own), continues to surprise us
Jack Walton, a busy caller in County Durham who is our frontman when we go north!
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• we bring our own PA system (PAT tested)
• we normally like to arrive about an hour before an event starts, but can set up in 15-20 minutes if necessary
• equipment can be packed away in 20 minutes at the end of the event
• we have personal liability insurance
• we fit in with the format of the event as you want it to be: we don’t have set breaks or a definite repertoire to get through
• we don’t charge a deposit for fund-raising events
• we don’t sing (at least, not on stage)
• but we’re good with children!
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