Alan Taylor (on fiddle and guitar) and Andrea Mullins (lead vocals and occasional tambourine) were superbly augmented by Norman Prince, John Eatock and Paul Johnstone on guitar and vocals and by Ken Clank, the unobtrusive bass player.

Together they recalled days preserved now only in songs and old photographs. RAWTENSTALL ANNUAL FAIR once boasted attractions both innocent and beguiling that have now been superseded by Richard Thompson’s Wall Of Death (a more contemporary folk song on the same subject matter). The fair was attended by people who lived in tight-knit rows of back to back terrace houses with tin baths and outside "privies". Who among those people would ever have thought those conditions would be so fondly remembered, or that people would cherish those memories when re-located to a ROOM UP IN THE SKY in the tower blocks that so destroyed local communities? The song of the same name offered by the group reminded us just how traumatic was such re-location for that generation of Lancashire folk.

Again, the highlight of the second half was a song, THE TWELFTH OF NEVER, that was the least typical of the fare for the night. There was much head scratching amongst the band to recall who recorded the original version. Elvis Presley was mentioned, but it is not a version these reporters remember. Instead we recall versions by American stars like Johnny Mathis, Donny Osmond, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings and Andy Williams.

In Britain artists such as Ken Dodd, Cliff Richard and Peters & Lee made the song even more popular. The song was also once recorded by The Brighouse and Rastrick Band and, less parochially, was even once piped by Manuel And His Music Of The Mountains.

Darwen Library Theatre, though, was given a sublime rendition by Andrea and Alan. The harmonies here were the most adventurous of the entire evening, and THE TWELFTH OF NEVER perfectly suited Andrea’s style of delivery. As a former member of The Caravels she brings a pop music sensibility to the folk music of the group. You may recall that she once told us YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BA-A-BY TO CRY. It was probably good advice, but I was too lost in my teenage crush on her to ever listen to what she was actually singing!

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