Celtic Connections

The Sound of new Scotland

14 Feb 2008

REVIEW CELTIC CONNECTIONS Classic Grand, Glasgow, Thu 24 Jan The title of this show was a bold one, but proved Scottish music is nothing if not diverse. Trio Zoey Van Goey traded instruments more frequently than a Govan pawnshop while spinning their…

Colin MacIntyre

31 Jan 2008

POP Gone is the Mull Historical Society pseudonym and in its place is Colin MacIntyre, a couple of choirs and a veteran politician. After three critically acclaimed albums, MacIntyre is back with his latest, The Water, and a set at Celtic…

Koshka World Gypsy & Jazz Band

31 Jan 2008

CELTIC CONNECTIONS This will be – literally as well as metaphorically – a big night for the Glasgow-based trio Koshka, and one that should make up for the disappointment of the late cancellation of the project last year, one of a number of events in…

Trilok Gurtu

31 Jan 2008

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Trilok Gurtu may have begun his musical life in a family thoroughly steeped in the strict disciplines and formal cohesion of Indian classical music, but his own career has taken him into some of the most diverse world-jazz fusions…

Celtic Connections

17 Jan 2008

KIDS’ WORKSHOPS Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sat 19 Jan (percussion) & Sat 26 Jan (singing) Given that most children derive pleasure from a) making lots of noise and b) hitting things, a drumming workshop for kids seems like a match made in…

Celtic Connections

17 Jan 2008

Music isn’t what it used to be. This is something we have to be thankful for as the constant evolution, recycling and re-fashioning of music means there’s always someone out there trying to do things a bit differently. While there’s been much carping…

Celtic Connections - Mindy Smith

17 Jan 2008

Two albums in, Mindy Smith is solidifying her reputation as one of America’s most affecting songwriters. 2006’s Long Island Shores showed her gentle touch and growing prowess as a writer. Her ethereal vocal style at first brings to mind Joni Mitchell…

Steve Earle

4 Jan 2008

You’ll know where Steve Earle lives if you can picture the famous cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Just up that New York street where Dylan huddled against the snow with Suzie Rotolo in 1962 is the apartment Earle shares with his wife, the beautiful…

Opening Concert: Common Ground

4 Jan 2008

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Wed 16 Jan Celtic Connections will launch this year with what artistic consultant Donald Shaw likens to a giant session. Common Ground will be led on stage by John McCusker, and will feature a host of…

Islands

4 Jan 2008

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow, Thu 17 Jan The irony of this Celtic Connections presentation of Luke Daniels and Donald Grant’s Islands is that Grant will not be there to take part. The Highland-born violinist has a very active…

Dispatch - Roddy Woomble

The Dispatch

12 Feb 2007

Celtic Connections passed by in all its hazy, folky glory. I had a great time during the festival, and managed to see a few concerts I’d been looking forward to: John Martyn performing Solid Air, and Dick Gaughan performing his 1981 folk masterpiece…

Cascade

Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow, Thu 1 Feb

15 Jan 2007

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Cascade is a new project featuring a number of familiar names from a diverse range of musical backgrounds. The five-piece first got together at the London Jazz Festival in November, and this will be their debut in Scotland. The…

Justin Currie with The Poems

ABC, Glasgow, Sat 20 Jan

15 Jan 2007

CELTIC CONNECTIONS Every year Celtic Connections’ programme throws up nuggets of thoroughly insightful booking, and this gig - showcasing green pastures new for a couple of Scottish artists whose musical careers seemed consigned to yesteryear - must…

L'Occidentale Dr Fanfare

Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, Tue 30 Jan

15 Jan 2007

CELTIC CONNECTIONS First, a credo. ‘We have arrived at the time of Fusion. The era of conventional folk music had to travel through the social and cultural storms of the 20th century in order to emerge fully in the 21st. Some medievalists claim that…

Seth Lakeman

15 Jan 2007

Celtic Connections have secured one of the leading lights in the modern English roots scene, Seth Lakeman, as support for Scottish singer/songwriter Karine Polwart. Bringing a new dynamic and rawness to his intimate performances, Lakeman specialises in…

Shooglenifty

15 Jan 2007

Edinburgh’s folk fusionists Shooglenifty are one of the many exceptional acts making up this year’s Celtic Connections programme. The groundbreaking celtic dance band will be joined by Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq Gillis, one of the leaders in…

Showcase Scotland

15 Jan 2007

The annual influx of agents and promoters invited to the Showcase Scotland weekend at Celtic Connections will be able to join what will doubtless be a substantial public audience for this very tasty array of contemporary Scottish folk talent. Session…

Mary Chapin Carpenter

3 Jan 2007

Celtic Connections have secured the first Scottish show from Mary Chapin Carpenter in five years. And it’s a long overdue return to our shores for the multi-Grammy award-winner, famed for her humorous, fast-paced country-rock songs, though not afraid of…

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3

3 Jan 2007

Almost hidden among the wealth of gigs on offer at Celtic Connections are some true superstars. Of course there’s Robyn Hitchcock, ex-Soft Boys and The Egyptians. Then we come to his backing band, featuring Bill Rieflin of Ministry and Revolting Cocks…

Celtic Connections

Various venues, Glasgow, Wed 17 Jan-Sun 4 Feb

20 Dec 2006

CELTIC AND BEYOND Glasgow’s massive Celtic Connections festival comes in with the New Year and a new man at the helm. Musician, producer, radio presenter and now CC’s artistic director, Donald Shaw (pictured) admits, ‘It’s been a nightmare - but…