Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman

Legendary Bolton broadcaster, writer and musician Mark Radcliffe met David Boardman a few years ago when he moved to Knutsford and they found each other in the Builder’s Arms.

David is a seasoned singer/songwriter, guitar teacher and fine artist. The pair began to co-write songs for David’s band FineLines and the duo idea came out of that.

Inspired by the elegant simplicity of two guitars and two vocals, the initial inspirations were The Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkel, although more contemporary acts like The Milk Carton Kids have also been a major influence.

They also share a love of Western Swing and old school roots country music, in particular the songs of Hank Williams. Those inspirations have fed into their original songs as well as having informed their choice of cover versions. 

Unofficially known as The Long Ridge Riders, there’s something of a country-ish campfire tinge to the atmosphere they create. Theirs is a duo that works perfectly: they both sing, they both write, David plays most of the difficult bits and Mark does most of the talking!