Today we’re at a ceilidh at the Community Centre in Hexham, dancing to tunes played by the Hexham Village Band under the watchful eye of caller Joey Oliver.
The Village Band was established in 2011 by David Oliver. It’s a community band, open to anyone who wants to play, regardless of musical accomplishment. Rehearsals take place once a week in Hexham and the tunes are learned by ear, not played from transcriptions. Any person and any instrument are welcome.
At today’s ceilidh, there are about 20 musicians in the band playing traditional tunes on a variety of instruments that includes fiddles, guitar, ukelele, Northumbrian pipes, a clarinet, concertina, dulcimer, flute and accordion, all ably led by David Oliver.
The dancers are a mixed bunch in age and ability, ranging from the flat of foot novice like me to the fleet of foot regulars whose every step appears to defy gravity. But the good thing about ceilidhs, as everybody who’s ever been to one will tell you, is that it doesn’t matter whether you know the steps or not, it is all very, very good fun.
