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Brown Boots play 'Underhand' at the Studio in Coxheath 2019

Fermoy Lasses & Tommy Peoples' reel, Will Allen Melodeon

The Cat and the Dog, Will Allen

About William

Will Allen is an expert folk musician experienced in playing for ceilidhs, public and private events, and teaching folk music and dance.

Accordionist

Swanley

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Verified profile

Will Allen is one of the most versatile button accordionist and fiddlers on the folk scene. He has a an enormous repertoire of traditional tunes from all over the western world and has a reputation of being one of the best English melodeon players around. Booking Will for your event will guarantee feet being tapped and leave you with a new appreciation for traditional music.

William

5 out of 5

4 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

William's Reviews

5 out of 5

Exactly what I hoped for my event: Will is an extremely talented musician and I suspect modest bon viveur; he interpreted our atmosphere perfectly and I'm very glad to have made his acquaintance. Highly recommended.

5 out of 5

William is a thoroughly nice guy and a consummate musician!

5 out of 5

We hired the Hilltop band for a village Barn Dance in Oct 2018. Band arrived early and got set up. They were great fun. The music was spot on and the caller had everyone up and dancing straight away. The hall was packed but the caller adjusted the groups to fit the available space so everyone could take part. We had young children and some senior citizens as well as all ages in between dancing away. Great feedback from the crowd and they were calling for an encore at the end. All in all highly recommended and will look to book them again for next year!

5 out of 5

We had a ceilidh for our wedding anniversary on Saturday and the Hilltop Ceilidh band were fantastic. The guitar and box player were brilliant musicians who set a great beat to dance to and the caller gave clear instructions that meant even the novice dancers were able to understand what they were meant to be doing without over explaining! We will definitely look to book the band again next time we have a party!

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Encore badges

Saved the day!

Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice

8th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years

William's Song list

Will has an every growing repertoire of tunes, he knows thousands of tunes from all over the world. Below is a list of some of the Irish tunes Will plays most often.

Reels

Hollybush, Paddy’s trip to Scotland, Cooley’s, Foxhunters, Templehouse, Corner House, Swallows tail, Bog carrot, Bucks of oranmore, Old bush, Cup of tea, Mouth of the tobique, Masons apron, Frank’s, Father Kelly’s, Mountain road, Reconciliation, Music in the glen, Banshee, Teetotallers, Jackie Coleman’s, Galway rambler, Wise maid, Silver spire and silver spear, Hesleyside reel, Miss McLeod’s, Tim Edey reel G, Sam’s tune, trip to cullenstown, Blythe A mix tune (Monaghan Twig), exile of Erin, David munnelly one row reel Em/A(new mown meadow), John Brennan's, Tommy People’s, Humours of Tulla, old blackthorn, Sailors bonnet, mountain lark, Obama reel, PJs reel, Sheila Coyle’s, boy in the gap, rakish paddy, savage/pachelbels frolics, Fermoy lasses, Sally Gardens, moving cloud, Rattigan’s reel, Rookery, hunters house, over the moor to Maggie, John blessings, Boyne hunt, Miss Thomson’s, MacArthur road, big John McNeil, maid behind the bar, paddy fahy's,

Barndances and hornpipes

Jer the rigger, Billy Malley's, Gypsy Princess, Lucy Farr's, kilnamona, harp and the shamrock, rights of man, home ruler, brown coffin, Donegal Highland gan ainm, unknown Boyne hunt hornpipe in A,

Jigs and slides

Jimmy ward's, Connaughtman’s Rambles, out on the ocean, dervish in G, Hexham Races, Kathleen Hehir's, star above the garter, merrily kissed the Quaker, old favourite, stool of repentance, blackthorn stick, Cuil Aodha set, Martin’s jig in D then G, roaring jelly, lark in the morning, all the rage, banish misfortune, carraroe jig, tripping upstairs, Mike mcgoldricks, Stan Chapman’s, rolling wave, Mairtin O’Connor jigs,

Musicianship

Genres:

Traditional Irish folk, Traditional English folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Folk, Folk rock, Ceilidh, Country, Welsh folk, Easy listening, Light music, Originals, Italian music, Polka, Scottish music, French music, World music, Bollywood, Indian music, Asian music, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, Experimental

See all genres

Instruments:

Accordion, Banjo, Mandolin, violin, Bollywood violinist

See all instruments

Event types:

Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve

See all event types

Other skills:

Arranger, Composer, Actor, Musical comedy, Dancer, Fluent improviser, Instrumental teaching, Composition teaching, Music therapy, Community music worker

See all skills