Battlefield Band


Battlefield Band are a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band.
The band is noted for their combination of bagpipes with other non-traditional instruments, such as electronic keyboards, and for its mix of traditional songs and new material. Battlefield Band tours internationally, playing to audiences in Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.
They have collaborated with other musicians including the Scottish harp player and glass sculptor Alison Kinnaird.

History

Career

Battlefield Band was formed in 1969 by five student friends from Strathclyde University and took its name from the Glasgow suburb where McNeill was living at the time. After several line-up changes and an album recorded for a minor Breton label, the band was signed to Topic records and released its official self-titled debut in 1977 with the line-up of McNeill, Reid, Jamie McMenemy, and John Gahagan. Gahagan left before the recording of the follow-up, At the Front, and was replaced by Irish singer-guitarist Pat Kilbride. The departure of both Kilbride and McMenemy shortly afterward brought in Jen Clark and Duncan MacGillivray for Stand Easy, thus beginning Battlefield Band's tradition of using bagpipes on their albums. Clark was replaced by Northumbrian singer-guitarist Ged Foley on Home is Where the Van Is, which marked a switch from Topic records to producer Robin Morton's label Temple. Home is Where the Van Is also inaugurated the band's practice of placing original songs alongside traditional material. The line-up changes continued, though the group remained based around the core of McNeill and Reid until 1990, when McNeill left to pursue a solo career. Reid finally left the band at the end of 2010, concentrating on his musical duo with guitarist & singer Rob van Sante, the Battlefield Band's sound engineer.

Recent years

On 1 January 2015, Battlefield Band revealed in an e-mail sent to their fanbase that, back from their US tour in October/November 2014, they were working hard in the studio on a new recording project with the working title Beg, Borrow & Steal. The Irish / Scottish album would highlight and explore the cultural cross-fertilisation of the vibrant musical traditions of Scotland & Ireland and the group would collaborate with many other leading traditional musicians and scholars. Mick Moloney, Nuala Kennedy, Aaron Jones, Christine Primrose, Alison Kinnaird & Barry Gray were due to be all on board, with more to follow. The band has been awarded Creative Scotland assistance for this project. If all would have gone well as initially announced and expected, the recordings would have been available on Temple Records by March 2015 – it might even have turned into a tour if all would have gone well and the musicians would have been available.
On 22 June 2015, on their Twitter page, Battlefield Band announced a January 2016 tour of Germany, Switzerland and Austria due to begin on 14 January in Offenburg, Germany and end on 31 January 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. This would be Battlefield Band's return to the stage for the first time since November 2014 i.e. after more than a year of inactivity as the band had not toured during the whole year 2015...
On 14 August 2015, Battlefield Band's label Temple Records finally announced that the new album had been re-titled simply as Beg & Borrow and would be released as a digital download on 21 August 2015, on CD in the UK on 18 September 2015 and on CD in the United States on 16 October 2015.
Battlefield Band later confirmed that they would embark on 14 January 2016 on a 16-date tour of German-speaking countries including a radio show and a TV show in Germany, due to end on 31 January 2016.

Accolades

Battlefield Band were winner of "Best Live Act" at the inaugural Scots Trad Music Awards in 2003. In 2011, they were winner of "Best Band" at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2011.
Battlefield Band's "Compliments to Buddy McMaster" was nominated for the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for World Traditional Song of the year. They also have been nominated for the 11th Independent Music Awards "World Traditional Song" category for its recording of "A' Bhriogais Uallach", a track from their album Line-up released in 2011.
On 11 November 2016, Battlefield Band were inducted into Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame for "Services to Performance".

Instruments and themes

Every line-up since the Stand Easy album has had at least one bagpiper. Unusual aspects of the instrumental line-up for a traditional band include the presence of electric keyboards and the absence of percussion. Every album mixes traditional Scottish songs and tunes with modern compositions. Themes range from drinking, friendship, and hard times to history, geography and politics.
The band's 2006 album, The Road of Tears, deals explicitly with the theme of displacement. Many of the songs deal with emigration, both voluntary and forced. Battlefield Band's 2007 album, Dookin′ has a lighter feel, after the eloquently somber tone of The Road of Tears. Dookin' includes instrumentals and a mix of vocals, with lead being shared by Alan Reid and Sean O'Donnell.

Members

Current members

  1. Sean O'Donnell –
  2. Alasdair White
  3. Mike Katz

    Past members

  4. Alan Reid –
  5. Brian McNeill – Brian has published two detective novels. In 2001, he took up the post of Head of Scottish Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, which he has since relinquished.
  6. Jim Thomson .
  7. Eddie Morgan .
  8. Sandra Lang .
  9. Ricky Starrs ; –
  10. Jamie McMenemy –
  11. John Gahagan –
  12. Pat Kilbride –
  13. Jen Clark –
  14. Duncan MacGillivray –
  15. Sylvia Barnes – Sylvia came to Battlefield Band via Scottish folk group Kentigern.
  16. Jim Barnes – Jim came to Battlefield Band via Scottish folk group Kentigern. He died in 2004.
  17. Ged Foley –
  18. Dougie Pincock –
  19. Alistair Russell –
  20. John McCusker –
  21. Iain MacDonald –
  22. Davy Steele –
  23. Karine Polwart
  24. Ewen Henderson –

    Guests on album

  25. Alison Kinnaird
  26. James MacKintosh
  27. Quee MacArthur
  28. Kate Rusby
  29. Seamus Tansey
  30. Eric Rigler
  31. The Radio Sweethearts
  32. Donald Hay
  33. Kris Drever
  34. Simon Thoumire
  35. Mike Whellans
  36. Mitch Greenhill
  37. Allan MacDonald
  38. Christine Primrose
  39. Jim Kilpatrick
  40. John Martin
  41. Nuala Kennedy
  42. Leo McCann
  43. Aaron Jones
  44. Barry Gray
  45. Robin Morton
  46. Don Meade
  47. Tony DeMarco

    Guests on stage

  48. Kieran Munnelly –
  49. Skip Healy –

    Discography

Studio albums