Auld Triangle was founded by brother and sister Mike and Pat Austen in 1972. For nearly 30 years as residents at Westhoughton Folk Club, the line up has changed several times but Mike and Pat (now Pat Batty) remain in the band. Former members have included Norman Prince, Jim Berry, Pat Ryan, Phil Atkinson, John Oliver, Steve Robinson and Ken Howard.

Barrie Seddon joined in 1994 and Clive Leyland signed on in 1998. The current team is Pat (vocals), Mike (guitar and mandola), Barrie (bass, mandolin and vocals) and Clive (acoustic and electric guitar, piano, harmonica, accordion and vocals).

It's hard to apply a label to Auld Triangle's repertoire. The band's traditional origins are still evident but over the years they have adapted many high quality contemporary songs which have caught their fancy. Material is selected from a wide spectrum, encompassing the folk canon and the fringes of country as well as singer-songwriter territory and light rock.

Barrie and Clive cut their musical teeth during the early 60's "beat" explosion (and will readily drop into Chuck Berry impressions or jazz/blues improvisations given the chance). This combination of backgrounds makes for a lively interaction of influences and ensures that Auld Triangle's set never becomes stale and that they always have a supply of interesting new material in development.

The addition of electric guitar has given the band a harder edge when it's needed and piano, mandolin, mandola, accordion and harmonica lend variety to the sound. Pat's excellent vocals have always been a hallmark of Auld Triangle. Clive and Barrie now also handle some of the lead vocals and Pat, Clive and Barrie all contribute vocal harmonies.

A typical set might include songs by Richard Thompson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dave Mallett, Dougie MacLean, "trad arr James Taylor", Beth Nielsen Chapman, John Tams and, perhaps more surprisingly, The Eurythmics, Eric Bibb and The Grateful Dead. Clive's own original songs are also increasingly featured.

Clive also plays solo gigs and is part of another band, Bandersnatch, a 6 piece unit featuring a wide range of instrumentation and multiple harmonies, with traditional and contemporary material as well as Clive's own songs. In June 2004 he released his solo CD "A Northern Man", a collection of 13 of Clive's original songs presenting snapshots of life in and around Bolton over the last 200 years. Westhoughton Folk Club regulars will recognise "Sail Away" among the tracks. The CD is available directly from Clive - details at his website www.cliveleyland.com

Auld Triangle's current line-up released their first CD in 2000. The band is available for bookings - contact Pat Batty for details.