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ABOUT THE HEADLANDERS CEILIDH BAND
The Headlanders is a traditional ceilidh band based in Aberdeen and has played in various venues throughout the North East of Scotland. The line up consists of two violins and an accordion. Between the band members we have over 30 years of traditional Scottish music playing experience and regularly attend ceilidhs ourselves. To find out more about the Headlanders scroll down or click below.
What does the band play? , What does the band sound like? , Where have you played?
Do you have a caller? , How much do you charge? , History of the band
Name of the band , The band logo , For a ceilidh good time , The site colour scheme
About the band members , How to contact us
 WHAT DOES THE BAND PLAY?
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With a band line up consisting of two violins and and accordion we play a variety of traditional Scottish and Irish music for dances ranging from waltzes and marches through to jigs and reels. We can call or run through any of the dances for those that are new to ceilidhs (learning new dances is all part of the fun) but it's up to the dancers on the floor. We play for a broad range of dances - we have at least 14 distinct dances in our repertoire before adding in variations. There's no singing, except when supplied by the audience and we don’t play pop music, but we can play CDs or tapes over our PA system. You can check out the instructions for the dances on our dances pages.
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 WHAT DOES THE BAND SOUND LIKE?
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This is a tough question to answer without you actually hearing us. You can contact us to see when we are next playing. If you can’t make it to a date we’re next playing and would like feedback from people we have played for then please let us know.
We have a selection of tunes on the site in RealAudio format if you wish to hear us over the web. You will require a RealAudio player.
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 WHERE HAVE YOU PLAYED?
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We have played at weddings, dinner dances and ceilidhs for a variety of companies, clubs and organisations. Major venues in and around Aberdeen that we have played at include the Ardoe House Hotel, Marcliffe at Pitfodels, Copthorne Hotel, Norwood Hall Hotel, Banchory Lodge Hotel, Queens Hotel, Jarvis City Hotel, Jarvis Amatola Hotel, Station Hotel, and Aberdeen University Central Refectory. Beyond Aberdeen we have played at the Crieff Hydro, Glamis Castle (for the Classic Car Extravaganza), Dinnet, Garlogie and Tilquhille.
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 DO YOU HAVE A DANCE CALLER?
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Yes. One of the band members (Ross) can call through any of the dances that we play. We take it at the pace of the dancers on the floor and it’s by majority rule of those on the floor which dances we’ll call through. You can also check out the dances beforehand on the dances pages.
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 HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?
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Our charges are competitive and depend on how long we will play for and the distance travelled if outwith the Aberdeen area. Contact us for a quote.
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 HISTORY OF THE BAND
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The members have played together in a Strathspey & Reel Society for a number of years. Friends, and friends of friends were asking us to perform on various occasions. The various became too many for us to ignore the fact that we were having fun playing and that there was a potential business opportunity here. Another ceilidh band was born.
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 WHERE DOES THE NAME COME FROM?
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The name is derived from the members' names. Ross, the dance caller, means Headland. As the other members never hesitate in pointing out this does not mean that the band is collectively the people of Ross. The others contributed various initials to the starting point of Headland and so we had a name.
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 THE LOGO
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The logo, based on the Saltire Cross, is intended to reflect the simplicity and style of the band, including its Scottish roots.
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 FOR A CEILIDH GOOD TIME
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The our mission is to ensure everyone has “a ceilidh good time” - we want to ensure that the people we play for enjoy ceilidh dancing whether they are completely new to ceilidhs or are frequent ceilidh dancers, and that we enjoy playing for them.
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  WHY THE ORANGE AND BLUE COLOUR SCHEME?
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The colour scheme of the website was inspired by a traditional Scottish tune 'orange and blue'. The tune is commonly used for the dance - The Highland Scottische
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 ABOUT THE BAND MEMBERS
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There are currently three band members. In no particular order we are:
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EMMA |
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The sassenach of the band originally hailing from the Deep South (of Lancashire), she fiddles along with the best of them. Although a relative latecomer to the Scottish music scene, Emma likes nothing better than to participate in a really lively ceilidh dance. Often this includes loud vocal elements, as the ears of any partner to Emma during the Basket Dance will testify.
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AMY |
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Box player extraordinaire (Amy's spelling, Amy's choice of adjective). Idols Phil Cunningham. Guilty of being drunk in charge of an accordion. Amy has been playing the accordion and traditional Scottish music for over 15 years, originally with the Ayr Fiddle Orchestra, before moving to Aberdeen and joining the Aberdeen Strathspey & Reel Society. She is also a member of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra.
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ROSS |
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Thinks he's in charge (he is, well at least of what appears on the website). Manages to control the dancers with his Robbie Shepherd impressions - you've heard the jokes before ...
Ross has been playing the violin for ... we’ll stick with ages. Previously a member of both Craigmount High School Strathspey & Reel Society and Lothian Schools Strathspey & Reel Society, he currently plays with Aberdeen Strathspey & Reel Society
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ALTOGETHER NOW ... |
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Collectively the band members have over 30 years experience of playing traditional Scottish music. Concert venues we have played in with other groups range from the Music Hall and His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen through to Earls Court, London. Not forgetting village halls almost everywhere. International venues include concerts in Alberta Canada, Belfast, Paris and Prestwick Airport. Admittedly the last is an international airport rather than an international venue but does feature highly in most unusual concert venue. We all attend ceilidhs regularly ourselves.
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HOW TO CONTACT THE HEADLANDERS CEILIDH BAND |
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If there is any other information you would like to know about the band please contact us.
You can contact us at: mail@headlanders.co.uk. Or telephone/text: 07721 494 004
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