The Scattering to perform at Manchester Irish Festival

The Scattering

Rochdale band 'The Scattering' will be headlining O'Brien's Beer Tent in Albert Square this Saturday Night at 8pm. The gig, part of the Manchester Irish Festival 2016 will be a chance for the hotly tipped Celtic Rock band to enhance their growing credentials. A huge crowd is expected at what is one of the Irish biggest festivals in Europe.

The Scattering was formed in 2015 and is made up of musicians from the Rochdale and Middleton areas. The six-piece outfit describe themselves as an 'Irish Country Rock' band mixing traditional Irish songs with country, rock and contemporary - all done in their own individual style. Instrumentation is drums, bass, two guitars, accordian and fiddle/mandolin, with vocals shared between them.

The band cite their influences as the Dropkick Murphys, Bodh'aktan, The Pogues and The Dubliners.

Singer and bassist Andy Kelly, whose family hail from Draperstown in County Derry, said, "We've been gigging for over a year now and the reaction we get from Irish and non-Irish crowds is fantastic.

"We're delighted to be playing in front of hundreds in Albert Square and have a few surprises up our sleeves. To be included in such a stellar line-up of the best traditional bands in the North West is a great honour." 

The Scattering:

• Chris Addington - Electric/acoustic guitars and vocals 
• Andy Kelly - Bass and vocals 
• Cliff Woodworth - Mandolin, fiddle and vcals 
• Jeremy Sleith - Drums  and vocals 
• Chris Wilkinson - Accordion  and vocals 
• Dan Maylott - Electric/acoustic guitars and vocals