Oldham band to release rugby anthem and 'tune for the town'

The Boundary Parkas is a cohort of musicians from the borough who came together at the start of the year to provide entertainment at Boundary Park, the home of Oldham RLFC at every home fixture.

In just a few short months, the group have transformed from a run-of-the-mill covers band to a much-loved "band of the people".

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The band consists of household names, such as singer-songwriter, Kieran McMahon, the drummer from Dirty Laces, Luke O'Reilly, Twisted Wheel's bass player, Harry Lavin, and former Stereohaze frontman, Charlie Whittaker.

Their performances have become legendary for rugby fans as they flock to the venue that lives beneath the Joy Royle stand for both pre-game ceremonials and post-game jubilations.

Chants and songs echo around the stand from both home and away fans as The Boundary Parkas are described as a "welcome breath of fresh air" that is bridging the community together through music.

Now, the band is set to release its debut single, 'I'm A Roughyed' which The Oldham Tinkers has described as a "great song for Oldham".

The song was inspired by the passion found in the terrace pitch side with co-frontman, Kieran, otherwise known under the songwriting alias of Glen Millstone, said he envisioned a 60s pop-style arrangement, similar to that of The Kings and The Beach Boys.

To bring the tune to life, the band employed the help of head engineer and producer, Jimmy Loughlin, and Jake Fletcher, who is currently a part of Paul Weller's live band, at The Attic Studios.

The song teases a strong chord structure and a chant-style chorus, mirroring the passion of fans - "in the way any classic sporting anthem should do but with an added sprinkle of classic British songwriting class", the band said.

In a nod to Oldham's long love affair with folk music, the vocal narrative references Oldham as an "Old Mill Town" and mentions the club's former "Shedding's Ground" in a storytelling format reminiscent of folk writers like Ralph McTell, The Oldham Tinkers and Mike Harding.

The club's motto, "stronger together", also features prominently within the track as the song blurs the history, tradition, passion and pride felt at the club today and from over the years.

Kieran also managed to track down Tommy Cannon from Cannon and Ball who, in 1990, re-recorded the song "Boys in Blue" to follow Oldham Athletic's road to Wembley ahead of the league cup final against Nottingham Forest.

Tommy Cannon is a special guest on the track (Image: The Boundary Parkas)

The song is just as notorious today for Latics' fans and has a secure place in the club's history.

Kieran invited Tommy to record guest vocals on their new club song and in an exceptional addition, welcomed Tommy on board 34 years after he was last in the studio recording the much-loved Latics classic.

The single is set to be released on Sunday, September 1, on physical CD and across all major digital streaming services.

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk