Folk

Jose Gonzalez

20 Sep 2007

FOLK In Our Nature (Peacefrog) For most people, Swedish-Argentine troubadour Gonzalez will always be known for his song ‘Heartbeats’ soundtracking that Sony Bravia ad with the bouncy balls in San Francisco, and that’s his main problem. What makes…

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…

5 Reasons To Go See - John Renbourn

14 Aug 2008

1 He’s an axe hero OK, he’s not in the same mould as Slash, but the veteran English guitarist and songwriter delivers an exemplary, dextrous mix of blues, folk, classical and jazz to wow his audience. 2 He’s a Pentangle Renbourn was one of the…

Vashti Bunyan

Cold comfort

20 Dec 2006

The story behind Vashti Bunyan’s 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day has become legendary. Vashti made her first bid for stardom guided by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Her wisp of a voice and tall, elegant beauty suggested she could be an…

North Cregg - album review

North Cregg

27 Feb 2007

FOLK (Greentrax) The Irish band’s second release on Greentrax offers a characteristic mix of lively, infectious tunes and wistful songs, the latter courtesy of another new young singer and fiddle player off the Irish production line, Claire-Anne…

Pumajaw - Curiosity Box

18 Sep 2008

PSYCHEDELIC FOLK Is this thing on? That’s what you might be asking yourself as the first album for Fire by Fence Collective affiliates Pinkie Maclure and John Wills kicks in. Against the picking of a lone guitar, shimmering bells and whispered vocals…

In the swing of it - Jazz, Blues and Folk venues

15 Sep 2008

Boasting some of the finest new names and most exciting stalwarts of the jazz, blues and folks scene, Edinburgh and Glasgow have long set an impressive stall with some of the most diverse festivals and year round line-ups.

Conor Oberst - The simple life

17 Jul 2008

From teen folk troubadour to big band instigator, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst has always been a musical force of nature. Camilla Pia finds the joy in his latest adventure: the Mystic Valley Band You may not consider there to be much difference between…

Balkanarama

8 May 2008

BALKAN/FOLK Studio 24, Edinburgh, Fri 9 May Saska Haramina, who organises Balkanarama, tries to sum up the night: 'It evolved out of a celebration of the Balkans' cultural diversity reflected in its musical diversity; upbeat riotous gypsy brass…

Exposure - Rachel Unthank & the Winterset

6 Sep 2007

The all-girl folk quartet, famous for singing in their gorgeous Geordie accents, are back with The Bairns, the follow-up to 2005’s Cruel Sister, which received a hearty thumbs up from folk purists and mainstream radio alike. How do you follow up a…

Partick Folk Festival

27 Nov 2006

Turn right at the bottom of Byres Road, past the Lismore Bar and you’re nearly at the Annexe - the hub of Partick’s annual little gem of a folk festival. From jazzy bagpipes to ancient song tradition, in concert and workshop. there’s music for all, and…

Five reasons to go and see: Tam White & The Dexters

21 Aug 2008

They’re an Edinburgh Institution - the mere mention of the name brings a warm glow to the hearts of Edinburgh music fans of a certain vintage. The band’s legendary residencies at the Preservation Hall and Platform 1 (both now gone as music venues) back…

Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller - In a Bleeze

21 Aug 2008

Singer Siobhan Miller from Penicuik and fiddler and singer Jeana Leslie from Orkney met while students at the RSAMD, and gave notice that we should expect something special when they won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award for 2008. They excel in the vocal…

The Bastard Children of Australian Folk: CWQ

Oddball eclecticism from down under

14 Aug 2008

Melting together genres from Celtic to klezmer, the pioneering Australian folk band CWQ present the result of mixing musical traditions from across the world in The Bastard Children of Australian Folk. Exploring and moulding the entire gamut of…

Pentangle

3 Jul 2008

Legendary folk-rock-jazz ensemble who's roots stretch back into the 60s. Pentangle are back with their original line-up of guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, singer Jacqui McShee, bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox. They also take a…

Various - A Celebration of the Music of Gordon Duncan

3 Jul 2008

FOLK (Greentrax) The death of maverick piper Gordon Duncan brought a tragic and untimely end to a major talent, but his music continues to resonate well beyond the piping community. His tunes are regularly played by folk artists of all kinds, and this…

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt

24 Apr 2008

COUNTRY/FOLK/BLUES (V2) Campbell and Lanegan’s Mercury-nominated debut was a one-trick pony, but it was a pretty cool trick. Campbell’s wispy whimper and Lanegan’s bourbon-soaked growl blended refreshingly over some old school folk and blues, but it…

Heidi Talbot - In Love and Light

10 Apr 2008

FOLK (Navigator Records) It seems folk singers just ain’t content with being plain old folk singers these days. Admittedly, the boundaries between folk and the singer-songwriter game have long been fairly blurred anyway, but more and more of the…

Box Club - Box Club

27 Mar 2008

FOLK (BoxClubRecords) The accordion is an instrument that still has an image problem in some quarters. Box Club are out to counter that perception by presenting the venerable instrument in much more contemporary trappings, including a slick visual…

Tegan and Sara

28 Feb 2008

FOLK QMU, Glasgow, Fri 29 Feb Poor Tegan and Sara. If it’s not their supposedly unfashionable asymmetrical haircuts (it’s the latest in Canadian coiffure), it’s the insipid curiosity with their private lives (they are twins and both lesbians) that…

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…

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…

Jackie Leven

Scottish outsider brings home his extensive back catalogue

7 Aug 2008

It’s the stuff on your doorstep that always goes unnoticed. While we heap plaudits on underground legends from across the pond, Scotland’s own talented outsider Jackie Leven remains unheralded. ‘I can’t get arrested in this country,’ Leven laughs…

Lau - Lau Live

5 Jun 2008

FOLK (Navigator Records) Lau’s combination of traditional roots and an openness to experiment is the hallmark of this scintillating disc, recorded in concert at the Bongo Club, Edinburgh back in December. It seems they have been gigging relentlessly…

Lau and The Ainslie/Henderson Trio: Reinventing the Reel

27 Mar 2008

FOLK Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 27 Mar; Tolbooth, Stirling, Fri 28 Mar; CCA, Glasgow, Thu 3 Apr ‘The band started about two-and-a-half years ago,’ says master fiddler Aidan O’Rourke. ‘Martin (Green), Kris (Drever) and I were hanging around…

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…

King Creosote

6 Sep 2007

FOLK POP His prodigious output thas been celebrated no end in the past but Kenny Anderson has now been ingested into the musical machine in earnest now but has lost none of his wayward spirit. Sure, this could be argued as his most conventional…

Records - Lau

21 May 2007

FOLK This debut CD from Lau, a trio made up of fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, accordionist Martin Green and guitarist Kris Drever, is an accurate reflection of the kind of music that had been emerging in their impressive (if occasional) live work since they…

Davey Graham

Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sun 24 Sep

18 Sep 2006

FOLK Lauded by Bert Jansch and Eric Clapton, Davey Graham is the guitar hero’s guitar hero. But despite his revolutionary impact on acoustic guitar playing and British folk music in the early 1960s, Graham has remained a relatively obscure figure. So…

Hitlist

The best pop, rock, jazz and folk

18 Sep 2006

Jay Z Ignoring his own self-imposed retirement completely by appearing on everyone’s else’s records, the self-professed CEO of hip hop arrives for his first ever Scottish live date. See feature, page 20. SECC, Glasgow, Fri 22 Sep. (Rock & Pop) The…

Euchrid Eucrow

18 Sep 2008

ALT.FOLK Two young women in full-length angel-white Victorian frocks flank a bearded young man in a tank top sitting on a stool. As he clutches his acoustic guitar for dear life, the dark-haired woman on his right puts her bow to her viola while the…

The Duplets - Tree of Strings

18 Sep 2008

FOLK The harp is enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment, with new young players like Ailie Robertson, Rachel Hair and The Duplets pairing of Freya Thomsen and Gillian Fleetwood all focusing on the oldest of the Scottish folk instruments.

Drever McCusker Woomble - Before the Ruin

4 Sep 2008

The crossing of normally disparate musical boundaries is always to be applauded, although it’s not automatically the green light to genius that reviewers sometimes make out. This collaboration from two generations of folkies – Kris Drever and John…

Fruitmarket Folk programme

4 Sep 2008

Eddi Reader and John Martyn are just two headline names joining a slew of international stars next month when Fruitmarket Folk launches itself in Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket. Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Art Garfunkel and Tommy Emmanuel are all reported to…

Air Alba

A celebration of Scotland’s contribution to world cuisine through song, story and music

21 Aug 2008

As the small audience shuffled in out of the early evening drizzle, raconteur Nancy Nicholson and guitarist Tony Mitchell happily greeted the audience, spinning yarns before most had even taken their seats. This friendly welcome set the tone for an hour…

Women in Harmony: Annie Grace, Corrina Hewat and Karine Polwart

Good things come in threes

21 Aug 2008

Three haunting voices, harp, guitar, whistle and pipes, beautifully blended. Annie Grace (pipes/vocals), Corrina Hewat (vocals/harp) and Karine Polwart (guitar/vocals), are three seriously talented musicians in their own right – each with their own solo…

Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir

7 Aug 2008

They may be only four in number but there are times when the collective voices of the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir soar as strong and pure as a 100-strong ensemble. While they make us guess at the tendency of their religious beliefs there is no…

25 things you might not know about Tom Waits

17 Jul 2008

The chance to see Tom Waits, one of the planet’s true music raconteurs, is worth £100 of anyone’s money. But did you know he once worked for the coastguard? If not, Jonny Ensall suggests you read on…

Capercaillie - Roses and Tears

24 Apr 2008

FOLK (Vertical Records) Capercaillie have done very nicely with their particular fusion of traditional music with more contemporary influences, and it is hardly likely that they are going to suddenly throw all that aside in pursuit of some radical new…

Various - What the Folk Volume 2

13 Mar 2008

FOLK (Butterfly Recordings) Following up Butterfly’s acoustic-only debut compilation of 2006, 15 funky folksters set about proving that it’s not just musty fiddling men and wizened warbling dames who can cut the folky mustard. At times, the jumpers…

Aye: An Affirmation of Martyn Bennett

28 Feb 2008

Martyn Bennett changed the face of Scottish music, marrying the high octane waves of the 90s dance scene with jazz beats, classical strings and his native Gaelic traditions. Now, the life and work of the performer and composer are set to be celebrated…

Karine Polwart - This Earthly Spell

28 Feb 2008

FOLK (Hegri Music) Karine Polwart is already established as Scotland’s premier purveyor of progressive folk, and this consummate and lush album consolidates that position. A flip side to last year’s traditional collection Fairest Floo’er, this album…

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…

Adrian Crowley - Long Distance Swimmer

4 Jan 2008

FOLK (Tin Angel) Adrian Crowley hasn’t received the level of attention bestowed on fellow Dublin troubadour Fionn Regan, but his sonorous blend of folk and blues deserves its spotlight. The content and style of this fourth album perhaps don’t reach…

Gordon Duncan - album review

Jazz

1 Nov 2007

Admirers of the late piper will spot the echo of his debut album Just For Seumas in this collection of previously unissued cuts, broadcast sessions and limited release rarities. Gordon did not live to complete a fourth studio album for Greentrax, but…

Hitlist - The best rock, pop, jazz & folk

20 Sep 2007

• Dean Owens and the Whisky Hearts This masterful Edinburgh songwriter kicks of ten days of shows in Darvel with a full-blooded, full-band show of his beguiling Americana. Darvel Music Festival, Darvel Town Hall, near Kilmarnock, Wed 26 Sep. (Folk…

Martin Simpson

6 Sep 2007

FOLK Like Christy Moore, Martin Simpson has an unconventional and idiosyncratic voice that is not technically great, but knocks spots of most of the competition in expressiveness and know-how. He has the priceless ability to make any song he sings…

Tunng

Good Arrows

16 Aug 2007

FOLK POP Citing influences from Icelandic prog rock to choral music and film soundtracks, Tunng’s third album is a musical playground of varied sounds. Stand-out track ‘Bullets’ is a simple catchy pop number. ‘Hands’ and ‘King’ are gently beautiful…

Hitlist - The best rock, pop, jazz & folk

17 Jul 2007

• A Band Called Quinn, Maxi Geil! and Playcolt Glasgow’s very own up and coming indie kids Quinn are joined by Brooklyn’s finest arch-camp art-rockers Maxi Geil and Playcolt, who are playing in Scotland for the first time. Classic Grand, Glasgow, Tue 24…

*Hitlist

3 Jul 2007

• T in the Park 80,000 folks have over 100 reasons on stage to get down this weekend, from Arctic Monkeys to Wu-Tang Clan (pictured) and all in between. See full running order . Balado, Fri 6-Sun 8 Jul. (Rock & Pop) • The Skids After Green Day and…

Bela and Iain Archer

3 Jul 2007

INDIE FOLK Glasgow-based Icelandic singer/songwriter Bela’s debut album Ticket for a Train didn’t enjoy anything like the response its fantastically warm, woozy folk pop merited upon release a year ago. Watching him pick away contently at an acoustic…

*Hitlist

Hitlist

9 Apr 2007

Mark Eitzel The erstwhile American Music Club lynchpin wears his heart on his sleeve and can write a love song that would break your heart clean open on one listen. Not a dry seat in the house guaranteed. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 19 Apr.

Junction Pool - album review

Junction Pool

27 Nov 2006

FOLK This young Borders ensemble was inspired by the example of The Unusual Suspects, and their own attempt at creating a folk big band packs plenty of energy and punch. The 13-strong ensemble of young musicians is led by pianist Harris Playfair, and…

Born Ruffians

18 Sep 2008

First headline tour from Canada’s Born Ruffians as they promote their debut album Red, Yellow & Blue. A subtle mix of twinkling electronica and nu folk with an indie vibe that they modestly describe as ‘hootin’ and hollerin’ to create a sound we call…

Bowerbirds

4 Sep 2008

Nu-folk trio in the same vein as Devandra Banhart, professing a love of uncluttered natural living in their gorgeously constructed tumbledown tales of love, longing and the great outdoors. There’s a warmth and delicate beauty in their tracks built on…

Ailie Robertson - First Things First

7 Aug 2008

FOLK (Lorimer Records) Edinburgh harpist Ailie Robertson has picked up an armload of prizes at successive National Mods, but that should not lead you to expect a very traditional approach to what is arguably the most traditional of all Scottish folk…

Piping Live!

7 Aug 2008

A week-long piping extravaganza that takes over the whole of Glasgow. Get set for a packed programme of demos, workshops, art, family fun days and of course plenty of concerts. Expect free daily shows in George Square, late-night sessions in the…

Duncan Chisholm - Farrar

31 Jul 2008

FOLK (Copperfish Records) Duncan Chisholm is a busy man, what with Wolfstone, his duo with Ivan Drever, and his involvement in a number of other people’s bands to keep him fully occupied. Every now and again, though, he fulfills his promise to do…

A show of force - Edinburgh Military Tattoo

22 Jul 2008

A festival spectacle global in design is this year’s The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which prepares once again to set its stall on the esplanade under the impressive backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, as it showcases the best military musicians from around…

Omar Sosa

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

22 Jul 2008

Diverse, dynamic and daring approach inspired by Afro-Cuban folklore. You never know what Omar Sosa will do next. The Cuban-born virtuoso musician has turned his hand to everything from composing and arranging records to producing them, leading bands…

Marissa Nadler - live music review

5 Jun 2008

COUNTRY-FOLK Stereo, Glasgow, Tue 13 May Waif-like guitar-picking girls are ten a penny these days, what with your Cat Powers and your Bat for Lashes already well established. And like the sphere of male singer-songwriters, it’s a field which could…

Feist

8 May 2008

One of the founding members of Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene and former flatmate of Peaches, Leslie Fiest is now best known for that video ‘1234’ as featured so ubiquitously in the iPod advert. However this takes nothing away from the simple…

Session A9 - Bottlenecks and Arm-Breakers

8 May 2008

FOLK (RAJ Records) Session A9 are not the only four-fiddle ‘supergroup’ on the Scottish folk scene, but like both Blazin’ Fiddles and Fiddlers’ Bid, they have evolved their own distinctive approach to the format. That sense of individuality is down to…

Ceilidh Culture

13 Mar 2008

FOLK Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 21 Mar–Sun 12 Apr Ceilidh Culture, Edinburgh’s spring fling of acoustic music and the traditional arts has this year moved from its council house, and is now being run by a team from the Usher Hall. Rather than…

Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson - Partners In Crime

13 Mar 2008

FOLK (Vertical Records) While many piping recordings are primarily of interest to the piping community, this disc follows the lead of Ross Ainslie’s late teacher, Gordon Duncan, in aiming at a more diverse audience. The players are two of the…

Moving Hearts - Live in Dublin

28 Feb 2008

FOLK (RubyWorks) Reunions can often be disappointing affairs, but the occasional return to action of this mighty Irish band have been notable exceptions. This album was recorded on home ground last year, and if their pioneering fusion of folk with…

Catriona Macdonald - Over the Moon

14 Feb 2008

FOLK (Peerie Angel) This is fiddler Catriona Macdonald’s first solo release since 2000, and allows us to hear her away from immediate juxtaposition with collaborators on the same instrument in her regular bands, Scotland’s Blazin’ Fiddles and String…

Various - Rough Trade Counter Culture 07

14 Feb 2008

EVERYTHING (Rough Trade) If anything can be gleaned from these expansive, annual compilations its this: try as you might you can’t keep up with all the fine new music around unless you actually run a record store. And while you might have…

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…

Rags and Feathers and Eugene McGuinness

31 Jan 2008

ROCK FOLK ‘Heckle us if you like!’ was a brave challenge from Rags and Feathers frontman Tom Davis, especially as the band was apparently brought to life in this very venue only a few months previously. But there was nothing to find fault in during a…

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…

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…

Catriona McKay - Starfish

4 Jan 2008

FOLK (Glimster Records) Fresh from her triumph in winning the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the Scots Trad Music Awards in early December, harpist Catriona McKay’s debut solo album confirms her high standing among those in the harp world know.

Calum Martin - The Megantic Outlaw: A Gaelic Legend

29 Nov 2007

FOLK The Megantic Outlaw: A Gaelic Legend (Ridge Records) Calum Martin is better known for leading the Lewis Gaelic Psalm Singers these days, but this CD goes back to 1983, when the original version of his Gaelic-rock opus was issued. The songs were…

The Parsonage

Choral folk country blues

29 Nov 2007

Choirs are not cool, right? Wrong. Glasgow 50-strong vocal ensemble The Parsonage have played at festivals including Indian Summer and Connect, contributed to Echo and the Bunnymen’s forthcoming new album and recorded an EP for release on Optimo’s…

Old Blind Dogs

18 Oct 2007

FOLK Four on the Floor (Vertical Records) Old Blind Dogs celebrated their 15th anniversary with a concert in Findhorn in April that featured the current quartet with several former members, including singers Ian F Benzie and Jim Malcolm. The…

Feist

20 Sep 2007

FOLK POP Oran Mor, Glasgow, Wed 26 Oct If Leslie Feist has done one thing in her varied career that deserves to make her a star, it’s the day she spent shooting the video to her recent, mesmerisingly cheerful single ‘1234’. Google it or find it on…

The Wailin’ Jennys

16 Aug 2007

The line-up for St Brides this year is as diverse as ever, drawing performers from all corners and this time it's Canada’s midwest. The area is a fertile ground for earthy music with a foot in the past and one in the future and these three female…

Joni Mitchell signed by Starbucks

27 Jul 2007

Starbucks has secured a deal to distribute singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s new album through its outlets worldwide. The move follows a similar deal with Paul McCartney, which helped shift 447,000 copies of his new album Memory Almost Full after its…

Megson

Records

16 Jul 2007

FOLK MEGSON Smoke of Home (EDJ Records) Megson are the duo of Stu Hanna and Debbie Palmer. They hail originally from Teesside, and have been picking up a fair bit of favourable notice on the acoustic folk/roots circuit over the past couple…

Martin Simpson

Album

16 Jul 2007

FOLK MARTIN SIMPSON Prodigal Son (Topic) Simpson may be an enthusiast - he includes notes on his guitar tunings - but he is no purist. His enquiring ears have kept him at the interesting edge of the folk scene since he was a genuine…

Eddi Reader - album review

Eddi Reader

29 Jan 2007

FOLK After her triumphant homecoming with the best-selling Sings the Songs of Robert Burns, this new collection finds one of Scotland’s best voices continuing to mine the traditional vein in the company of folk heroes like John McCusker, Phil…

Shooglenifty - album review

Shooglenifty

29 Jan 2007

FOLK Shooglenifty have been around long enough to defuse the element of surprise in their musical fusions, a process hastened by the pervasive genre-expanding influence they have exerted over the years. If it no longer packs the sheer novelty it once…

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…

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…

Lori Watson - album review

Lori Watson

15 Jan 2007

FOLK Borders fiddler Lori Watson has been tipped as a name to watch for a wee while now, and her debut CD bears out that perception in fine style. She is accompanied by accordionist Fiona Young and two guitarists, Innes Watson (her brother) and Barry…

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…

Barbarossa - album review

Barbarossa

3 Jan 2007

FOLK It must be fun down the Fence Collective way with all those pseudonyms being hidden behind. And so following in the footsteps of the label’s mentor King Creosote (Kenny Anderson) here we have James Mathe aka Red Beard (‘barbarossa’ in Italian)…

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…

Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick - CD review

Straws in the Wind (Topic Records)

12 Oct 2006

A return to a famous collaboration featuring two doyens of the English folk scene that began in the 60s and has recurred all too occasionally in the intervening decades. The songs chosen for this set are largely drawn from AL Lloyd’s seminal collection…

End of the road for Arab Strap

The party's over

18 Sep 2006

‘Then on Friday night we went through to the Arches . . . There was only one car going, so some of us had to get the train. We got through quite late. Then we went to a pub to take the gear. There were no problems getting in - we saw some others waiting…

Pete Clark - album review

Pete Clark

18 Sep 2006

FOLK The Birnam-based fiddler has explored both the historical and contemporary music of Perthshire on a string of fine albums, and this is another worthy addition to that list. His own compositions are augmented by a selection of tunes by three…

Drever, McCusker and Woomble

18 Sep 2008

FOLK There comes a time in most rock musicians’ careers when they long to swap the frenetic rock’n’roll lifestyle for something more sedate. After a decade of touring the world with Idlewild, Roddy Woomble’s inclination of late has been towards folk…

Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse

14 Aug 2008

FOLK (Dead Oceans) Bowerbirds, a trio of folkers from North Carolina create tumbledown tunes of love, nature and wistful remembrance. It’s charmingly enigmatic, touching with its veiled simplicity and ramshackle, scratchy folk. Layered vocals…

Skelpaig - …aye?

14 Aug 2008

FOLK (Skelpaig Music) Skelpaig have been working on Highland time whilst putting this lively and accomplished debut album of purely instrumental tunes together, but their laid-back approach to deadlines is not reflected in the vibrancy of the music…

Tom Waits - Live Review

17 Jul 2008

Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, Wed 18 Jun The seldom touring ‘love or hate him’ artist transported his trademark whisky-soaked growl to the desert to kick off only his third tour of the decade. And, judging by his polished performance, one can…

The Nelson Mandela Birthday Party Tour

17 Jul 2008

For the Nobel Peace Prize-winner’s 90th birthday Scots/African artists will be offering a tribute to the defender of democracy from Scotland’s three major cities over the course of a single weekend. Performances from the Berlin-based Senegalese reggae…

Fraser Fifield Band - Traces of Thrace

17 Jul 2008

It is tempting to assume that the fascinating meeting of musical minds reflected here is in some way down to the on-the-road developments worked out on their Tune Up tour featuring Fifield’s band and the Nedyalko Nedyalkov band from Bulgaria earlier…

KT Tunstall and The Pictish Trail

17 Jul 2008

ROCK Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Thu 10 Jul This first proper gig for the newly-refurbished 1700-seater Alhambra is a fitting one, with returning Fifer Tunstall warming up for T in the Park. Opening is Johnny Lynch, aka The Pictish Trail…

Harry Smith Anthology Remixed

19 Jun 2008

When American song-collector, artist, ethno-musicologist and experimental filmmaker Harry Smith released The Anthology Of American Folk Music in 1952, it was a labour of love which had a huge influence on the 1950s so-called Folk revival. Without this…