Duncan McFarlane Band
Duncan (solo) & his duo with Anne Brivonese

                         Summer Folk Evening for Ilkley Wharfedale Rotary Club
The crowds turned out again in late July for a great summer evening of folk music, in support
of Rotary’s two Foundation charities, Parkinsons UK and End Polio Now.
The award-winning Duncan McFarlane Band and the Heathen Kings packed them in at the Clarke-Foley Community Hub for the whole range of the folk idiom from plaintive to rocking. First up were the Heathen Kings; Rachael’s soaring vocals underpinned by Steve’s bass. Perfect diction and great sensitivity created a special atmosphere and the crowd responded
enthusiastically to favourites like Babylon is Falling and other less well-known tracks.
After an interval supper of Lishman’s famous pies, Duncan McFarlane and his band took the
stage and the tempo moved up several notches. Though moving carefully, Duncan’s energy
was undimmed by recent surgery. The Band kicked off, as they had done in their January
spot at Blackpool’s UK West Coast Folk Festival, with Dry Stone Wall. The wall in question
being a meeting place for protesters against all manner of exploitation, this is quintessential
folk rock with a message. (Check out the video, with the musicians suitably dressed for after
dark). The set was a clever mix of old and new, with Duncan’s pithy wit and wisdom
setting everything in context and the band doing him proud.
A poignant moment had the audience joining in with Up, Up, Up! written for a sick friend (who recovered). A change of gear at the end saw the Heathen Kings, complete with sound man and multi-instrumentalist Mark, joining the band on stage.
After the classic Can’t Go There, Duncan took us all to Robin Hood’s Bay and rolled us down the hill one more rollicking time.
Ilkley Wharfedale Rotary Club is very grateful to the musicians, who waived their fees and
even refused petrol money! Also, to the management, catering and caretaking staff at Clarke-
Foley, for whom nothing was too much trouble and all went off in great good humour. Not
forgetting the generous public who supported the event; a profit of some £1100 means a
healthy donation will go to two vital charities. And we will do it all again in 2026 – probably in May. Look out for the date! - Judith Dunn (Event Organiser)