With less than a week to go until the Rainbow Centre Charity Ball takes place at Scarborough Spa, we spoke to ‘Big Ian’ Donaghy from the party band, Huge, who will be entertaining the attendees and getting the dancing started on the evening.

Huge have a reputation for bringing the big party vibes, and have been doing so for a long time. The band consists of ‘Big Ian’ – singer/frontman with 35 years’ service; Wavy on drums – 35 years (on and off); Stu on trombone and Sledger playing bass, both racking up 35 years; Rob on guitar clocks in at 33 years while Pete Ogram playing sax has been with them for 29 years; then there is Kempy on sax (formerly known as part of Scarborough’s very own Little Angels and Hamps Tramps), and George Hall on keys, both serving for 26 years, and Chalky on trumpet with a ‘mere’ 25 years!

Ian spoke to us ahead of their gig in Scarborough for the Rainbow Centre’s Charity Ball on 7th June. Asked what the driving force was for the formation of the band, he says, “We just wanted to give people a great night out whatever the age, from kids to funky grandmas! Unlike so many bands who seem to play pub rock aimed more at men, we deliberately have filled dancefloors with women too, playing a much ‘dancier’ set of songs that are more fun to play and perform.”

Some of their biggest events to date have included playing to a crowd of 21,000 at Temple Newsam last November at a firework festival. Over one run of just 5 nights in venues up and down the country they played to 75,000 overall. Asked about some of their favourite memories, Ian states, “We’ve done loads of amazing festivals, but I still think the craziest event we ever played was for Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in a chateau in the south of France where both Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake got up and joined us for about 8 numbers. It was insane!” But equally he notes, “To be honest, it’s not about celebrities. We have met so many wonderful people over the years. Celebrity isn’t a big deal…mint people are what it’s all about and we meet loads.”

On the flipside, he adds: “I once was inches away from having a broken bottle of Budweiser in my face at the Frontier club in Batley and we once had the oddest support act ever in Bradford Pile Bar on Manningham… ‘live Porridge wrestling!’ – we couldn’t believe it! We were told by the venue porridge wrestling would sweep the nation… It didn’t!”

Based in York, the group are of course no strangers to Scarborough. “I adore Scarborough. I make no secret off it. As a lad from the north-east we holidayed on Esplanade Road every year from 1975. We even played Millennium Night in the Grand Hall at the Spa to over 3000 people. Me and the HUGE boys can’t wait to return to Scarborough. It’s a place to so many of our hearts.”

As a final note for guests at the Rainbow Centre Ball, Ian asserts: “You will be PART of the show not merely spectators. Wear very comfortable shoes because you WILL be dancing!”

 

Click here for more information about the Rainbow Centre Charity Ball, 7th June in the Ocean Room at Scarborough Spa.

To find out more about Huge visit their website.