The Pugwash Band - for your party

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Come and meet the band...

Cliff Baylis handles the bookings for Pugwash and is usually the main point of contact at a function. He plays mandolin, electric guitar, whistle and concertina. Cliff also plays with Sue Hudson in the duo Foolproof, the barn dance bands Doctor's Orders and Small Town Romance and in the acoustic country band The Country Counts.
Click here for his full gig list

Costs very little to run, so known as "Economy Wash".

Neil McRitchie plays melodeon and other nearly musical items including plastic banana (intermediate level). He also plays for the Rampant Rooster morris dancers. Has been known to sing and perform dance demonstrations.

His strawberry blonde locks have earned him the title "Ginger Wash".

Penny Plowden, a founder member, plays bass guitar and whistle. Provides the firm rhythmic foundation that we rely on. She can also call the dances so we sometimes let her do that if she promises to behave herself.
Penny also plays in the Wompsters and, with Morris (below) as the duo Life of Riley.

Gentle and refined, she is respectfully known as "Posh Wash".

Morris Wintle plays tenor banjo and guitar and is the second main vocalist .

Attempts to go incognito by walking around concealed behind an unfeasibly large beard which is suspected also of housing a number of small creatures. Due to this he is, possibly unfairly, known as "Needza Wash".

Sue Evans joined Pugwash in 2004 to replace founder member John Smedley. Sue plays keyboard, hammer dulcimer, concertina and guitar. She is also an accomplished belly dancer, performing and teaching at various festivals and workshops. This could add an interesting angle to Pugwash events . . .
Along with Penny, Sue is one of the Wompsters.

Being pretty good at manual skills, Sue is known as "Hand Wash"

Martina Preece, our caller, is a very experienced performer and you are assured of plenty of entertaining guidance in carrying out the dances.

As she does most of the talking, Martina has the band moniker of "Mouthwash".

Other fine callers we use from time to time include Ian Petrie, Sue Hudson and Gail Duff.

Due to the complications of managing the diaries of so many musicians who are involved in so many ventures, it is occasionally necessary to replace one or more of the above line-up with replacements of similar, err, pedigree.