Duncan McFarlane
Starting with his first performance at Ely Folk Club in 1971, Duncan McFarlane has built a reputation for classy performances. Not sure that “Luigi Ana Da Boys”, the name of the band he formed in 1974, reflects that or the image we have of him now, though.
The Living Tradition magazine review from 2006 probably gives a better idea of what Duncan is all about …
‘Singer/guitarist/songwriter extraordinaire Duncan has been steadily making a name for himself over the past few years, increasingly well outwith the confines of his home county of West Yorkshire. Whether performing solo or in “acoustic band” format, his live sets invariably go down a storm, while his full-blown electric band has been hailed (and justifiably so in my book) as bringing the credibility back to that hoary old beast folk-rock.
Duncan has an obvious feel for the tradition and a deep-rooted belief that it has a place in the current folk scene, aspects which he puts across with lively showmanship. His own songs show a canny grasp of, and response to, the tradition, while his intrinsic seriousness of intent and approach is often laced with a healthy irreverence that happens to be hugely entertaining.’
More reviews …
‘Classy English Folk Guitar, eminently listenable vocals and great songs, both traditional and contemporary’ (Mike Raven)
‘Duncan’s a punchy guitarist in the ‘English folk’ style and offers a set about equally split between his own songs, other people’s and traditional’ (fRoots)
So there you go! Naaah! He’s so much more than that. It is impossible not to be touched by his performance; words are flimsy vessels, incapable of carrying what can only be experienced by listening to his live performance. You just know you want to discover this for yourself …. Don’t you?