THE OCCASIONALS

Freeland Barbour (accordion), Gus Millar (drums) and Kevin Macleod (banjo, mandolin & tenor guitar) came together in 1986, and started the distinctive core sound of what has become the acclaimed Scottish ceilidh band “The Occasionals”.

Now still playing 40 years later, 7 cds, thousands of gigs, weddings, festivals, conferences, clubs, some 12 BBC ‘Take The Floor’ broadcasts and 2 BBC TV appearances, they still get huge enjoyment from playing for Scottish traditional ceilidh dancing.

The band usually has our excellent dance caller Sheila McCutcheon out front directing the dancing and also regularly features Runrig’s Malcolm Jones (guitar) and Mairi Campbell (fiddle).

Many other notable musicians have played in the band over the years; Ian Hardie, Alison Smith, Neil MacMillan, Angela MacEachern, Duncan MacGillivray, Jimmy Little, Jim Barrie, Iain Fraser, Ally MacIntyre, Becky Hunter, Alison Hiley, Robert Whitehead, Brian Miller & Charlie Soane.

You can find out more about the band on The Occasionals - Freeland Barbour

Booking enquiries for the band can be also done through this link The Occasionals - Freeland Barbour

NEW RELEASE - THE OCCASIONALS at 40

New CD and Download on Bonskeid Music Cat. No. BONS CD 707

Release Date 28th September 2026

2026 sees The Occasionals celebrating 40 years as a band

and to mark this milestone BBC Radio Scotland's 'Take The Floor'

programme put out a special programme from Glasgow's Celtic Connections on January 24th 2026.  The new Occasionals CD is the band's contributions to that programme - 14 tracks of the best in Ceilidh and Scottish dance music.  

And it was the big band too, 9-strong, with a guest appearance on one track of one of the 'greats' of Northumbrian music, Jimmy Little, on the harmonica.  As usual Freeland Barbour was joined by his Occasionals colleagues Kevin Macleod, Malcolm Jones, Mairi Campbell, Alison Smith, Gus Millar, Neil MacMillan, Angie McEachern, and Duncan MacGillivray, and in the words of Gary Innes, the programme's presenter, 'The Occasionals are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.”

This new CD is the first of 3 releases by The Occasionals, the second one being a studio recording, and the third a collection of live performances from over the entire 40 years of the bands' life. 

Freeland Barbour is also working on a new book of his own compositions and the aim is to have it published towards the end of 2026.  There are also plans afoot for some new recordings - watch this space!

The Occasionals - at Kelso Accordion & Fiddle Club, 30th April 2025, Malcolm Jones, Gus Millar, Kevin Macleod & Freeland Barbour