Mellor Brook Community Centre

For Scotland, the late 18th and early 19th century was a time of profound and uncomfortable changes. Economic and social structures were altered dramatically as the Industrial Revolution brought factories and mechanization to Scotland's rural world. At the same time, the Scottish Highlanders were being driven from their lands by the English conquerors, forced into the Lowlands, forbidden to practice their familiar customs. It was a difficult time, often a brutal time... and yet, this was a time of great poets, the likes of Robert Burns and Robert Tannahill. And it was a time of great music.

The Tannahill Weavers' diverse repertoire reflects the duality of Scotland's musical heritage. It embraces both the mystical quality of the Highlander's Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander's Anglo-Scots tunes. The Tannahill Weavers' arrangements blend the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The penetrating sound of the Highland bagpipes is a thread of ancient memory running through it all.

Hear some of their material including some live tracks from the Live & In Session album here

Richard Moss will be familiar to regular visitors to Mellor Brook having supported Hoover The Dog and Kris Drever. Richard sings and accompanies himself on guitar, mandolin or melodeon. He has an extensive and diverse repertoire which includes folk, blues and original song and he plays tunes in various styles including ragtime and hornpipes. He has a particular enthusiasm for his native county of Lancashire and has set tunes to the words of Blackburn’s Victorian poet, Robert West Whalley.