With a top-class front line of fiddle, accordion and mandolin, supported by double bass, guitars and bodhran, the band offers a rich variety of sounds from gentle waltzes to rollicking reels and jigs. Add in some wonderful singing and a lot of excellent (and patient !) calling in several languages, and you have a band for all occasions.

Though performing mostly in lowland Scotland, the Lugs have played widely across Scotland and England and abroad. The band has performed in France and Cyprus and band members have also played in Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Russia. Wherever they appear, they have always been highly praised for their musical skills, interesting dances and the tremendous atmosphere which they invariably create.

So if you're looking for an experienced group for that wedding, concert, festival, special occasion or corporate event, try the Skelpit Lug Ceilidh Band. Bookings can be tailored from three or four musicians to the full six-piece outfit depending on your needs and the size of venue.

Members
Sandy Harvey

Sandy has been playing fiddle from the age of 16. He has won a number of competitions for both performance and composition. In the 1980s he performed with the "An Teallach" ceilidh band, travelling several times to Ireland and to the Tonder Folk and Blues Festival in Denmark. He has performed at numerous sessions, festivals and ceilidhs and is a founder member of Falkirk Fiddle Workshop.

Craig Mair

Craig Mair is a founder member of the band and plays guitar (and bodhran when the band allows him to). When the Lugs perform songs he usually adds the distinctive harmonies. He is also the Lugs main MC and dance caller, with a repertoire of around fifty ceilidh dances ranging from old favourites to lesser-known, but fun, alternatives. In real life he teaches history and enjoys rugby.

Lesley Waddell

Lesley is the newest member of the Lugs. She has joined us from the Herculean Ceilidh Band, with whom she played with for eleven years. She also has a variety of experience playing in various hotels and pubs in Perthshire. She has been playing the accordion for almost twenty-eight years and has a good repertoire of both traditional music and continental numbers.

Rob Griffith

Rob is a singer-songwriter whose material has been recorded by other artistes, and who also operates as a solo performer. As well as guitar accompaniment, he brings a powerful vocal element to the band on a range of material, including his own compositions. He also calls and demonstrates the dances when required.

Martine Stead

Martine has played mandolin with the Lugs for over seven years. When she's not playing with the band she helps run the Folk Festival and other events in Linlithgow. She's also an active member of the Linlithgow Union Canal Society, where she wields dangerous powertools and paintbrushes in the interests of canal conservation.

Alex Gowans

Alex started playing bass semi-professionally with jazz bands in Glasgow during the trad jazz revival in the xxxties. He soon moved on to modern jazz then, while working abroad, he joined a folk group. On returning to Scotland he became a regular performer at Dunblane Folk Club and he is a founder member of the Lugs. He is also involved in the local jazz scene, but he particularly enjoys playing in whisky distilleries. He has only managed this twice so far.

Instrumentation

6 - accordion, fiddle, mandolin, double bass, guitar/singer/dance demonstrator, guitar/bodhran/singer/caller

5 - accordion, fiddle, mandolin, double bass, guitar/caller

OR 5 - accordion, fiddle, double bass, guitar/caller/singer/bodhran, guitar/singer (if singing is required)

4 - accordion, fiddle, double bass, guitar/caller

OR 4 - accordion with midi, fiddle, guitar/singer, guitar/singer/caller/bodhran (if singing is required)

3 - accordion with midi, fiddle, guitar/caller