blowjangles started as a community band with no name, back in january 1997 in a nissan hut, that sometimes housed the burnley youth theatre.

the instigators of the enterprise were brass and woodwind expert, paeder long and percussion expert, leo nolan. why the meeting was in burnley, no one is really sure because there were no residents of that borough involved. of the original 16 members at that inaugural meeting, they were mainly from blackburn, accrington and the rossendale valley.

the current line-up still boasts four members who met for the first time that night.
it took from january to june to make that set of desperate bodies into a bone fide gigging band with the first public appearance being at hippy wood mill in altham in june 1997. it was at the occasion of someone's 40th birthday.

by then, a democratic vote had decided that blowjangles would be the name - just pipping master bakers to the honour of band name.

that summer of '97 saw us play several high profile gigs, including the accrington lions carnival where we played for the mayoress and other accrington dignitaries. luckily, we were augmented by the considerable talents of both paeder and leo who made us sound like a proper band, despite the very rudimentary talents of most of the rest of the members. 

over the next several years, the weekly practice sessions certainly didn't make us perfect, but what we lacked in musical ability, we made up for in enthusiasm. an increasing variety of weird and wonderful costumes prevailed, aided by lots of beer and the ability to grow rhino-like skin, shaped blowjangles into the band as it is now known and loved.

the venues for practices were varied and interesting. before arriving at our current place of rest at the action factory [god bless] in blackburn, we used padiham town hall, blackburn ymca, the upstairs of a community house on shadsworth estate in blackburn - not to mention, various parks in various boroughs of the region.

as time has gone on, many members have come and gone, but we have always had a nucleus of between 12 and 16 members. during that time, we have sported many members who could not play a note or keep time if they had a clock intravenously injected. we have had people with learning difficulties, a man in a wheel chair, a 67 year old grandmother who fell off the stage in blakeys in blackburn and was never seen again, a juggling vet, and a whole female percussion section of seven players who turned up out of the blue one night and stayed for a couple of years - despite the fact that they could hardly hold a beat between them.

as far as is known, only one member has died. rip eddie, his dog, monica is not now a member for obvious reasons.

the gigs we have done have been many, various and strange.

from the high profile ones like the jubilee procession through manchester were we played live on the local radio in front of 10,000 people, to the blackburn mardi gras when we have twice led the procession. the bradford carnival, several lions galas - not to mention the opening of the m65 to pedestrians where we played off the back of a lorry at 7-30am in the morning, just a few hours after princess diana had been killed.

bizarre gigs r us

an asian wedding in bury - reception in huddersfield town hall after.
a horse fair in a village near sheffield
a wake [see gig guide]
9-00am on a sunday morning around whitebirk estate [twinned with the gorbals]

if we have a motto, it would probably be, "have silly costume, will travel!"........

the history of the band does not seem to be abating, it is driven by enthusiasm, copious amounts of liquor, and a need for acceptance and acclaim by the record buying public. 

if you are strange, manic, one sandwich short of a picnic, insane and a all round good egg, why not join us in the bizarre world of  -
 
 

blowjangles - a band that's for life, not just for christmas.......
 

if you like what you've seen  and fancy becoming part of the wacky world of blowjangles,
new members are always welcome - experienced or not.
use one of the contact numbers above.
 
 
 

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