How I choose which gigs to go to has definitely evolved over time. When I lived in London I would be constantly checking out my favourite artists’ tour schedules, working out which venue on the tour would be easiest to get to and booking accordingly. Having lived down in Hastings some eight years now my approach has changed considerably and generally involves checking out the gig listings for the venues within a five-mile radius of my flat, working out who I want to see most and booking accordingly. In some parts of the country, that approach would be really restrictive but we are pretty spoilt for choice in terms of great venues, both large and small, on this part of the East Sussex coast.
And so this is exactly how I came to be at the De La Warr Pavilion for a performance by Moya Brennan. Publicised as ‘The Voice of Clannad’ in the tour promotion, I instantly decided this would be a must-see for me. I hugely enjoyed Clannad’s stunning set at Cropredy festival two years ago and while I was completely unfamiliar with Moya Brennan’s solo career beyond Clannad, I knew that any performance with her vocals at the heart of it was going to be well worth seeing.
Her voice is as pure and enchanting as ever, with Brennan taking lead vocals and harp just as in Clannad. Her band is something of a family affair with her daughter, Aisling Jarvis, on guitar and her son, Paul Jarvis, on keyboards and percussion, alongside leading Irish harpist and long-time collaborator, Cormac De Barra, and fiddle-player, Cathal Curran. Unfortunately, Brennan explained, the latter was not able to make Bexhill, the final night of the UK tour. However, she had persuaded a last-minute replacement (I didn’t catch his name unfortunately) to fly in to Gatwick that afternoon to do the gig. Only 17, he did a remarkable job stepping in and was very warmly-received by the De La Warr audience.
Material-wise, there was a heavy emphasis on songs Brennan had recorded with Cormac De Barra, with whom she has made a number of albums, including their latest project – an album celebrating the career of renowned Irish singer and harpist, Mary O’Hara. In contrast to the ethereal, other-worldly nature of much of Clannad’s back catalogue, there were also some sing-along moments, too. I certainly hadn’t expected a rousing communal rendition of ‘Lord Of The Dance’ but we all joined in with gusto. “I’ve been told you all learnt this at primary school over here,” she said, encouraging us to sing along. Indeed, we had and so that’s exactly what we did.
There would also be a few Clannad songs “for those who need that,” Brennan added dryly and we were treated to stunning renditions of ‘In A Lifetime’, ‘I Will Find You’ and ‘Two Sisters’.
Awakening is the third album from Glasgow-based folk aces, Ímar – their first in five years. Featuring Mohsen Amini (concertina), Tomas Callister (fiddle), Adam Rhodes (bouzouki), Ryan Murphy (pipes, flute and whistle) and Adam Brown (bodhran, guitar), the album (featuring cover art of the 9th century king from which the band takes its name) offers up ten tracks of mainly original tunes.
Mohsen Amini:“The idea behind this album was to take it back to where we came in with all the vibes of our debut album, Afterlight. As the band progressed, the music became more produced. We loved it but we never had more enjoyment that those original days at the inception of Ímar.”
Fresh, exhilarating and inventive, Awakening sees Ímar take us on a breathtaking ride through a stunning new collection of tunes that both showcase their virtuosity while giving every impression of a band having a huge load of fun during the making of it.
Westward The Light are Charlie Grey, Sally Simpson, Owen Sinclair and Joseph Peach. Formed in 2018, the band have won acclaim on the folk scene for their innovative arrangements of Scottish traditional tunes on fiddle, viola, piano and guitar. Flow Country, named after the region of rolling peatland between Caithness and Sutherland, is their second album.
Joseph Peach:“Flow Country is a record on which the tune takes precedence. There are no gimmicks, there’s jus straight up traditional music which we feel really captures the essence of our Scottish culture and heritage.”
A lovely collection of tunes that instantly transport the listener to the rugged landscapes and long-cherished musical heritage of the north of Scotland and which showcase some stunning interactions between these highly-skilled instrumentalists, Flow Country leaves its mark from the very first listen.
Still only in his mid-20s, melodeon-player and composer, James Kerry, has been a noted presence on the UK folk scene, playing at festivals such as Warwick Folk Festival and Broadstairs Folk Week and establishing a reputation for passionate, rhythmic playing rooted in the folk dance tradition. Source is Kerry’s first solo project and features mainly traditional English tunes with a handful of original compositions and a couple of contemporary pieces by other writers thrown in as well.
“Source is a true representation of James’ style and passions and reflects his huge respect for traditional music and his desire to pass it on,” we are told in the album sleeve-notes.
A fine showcase for James Kerry’s skilful playing, supporters of traditional English dance tunes will simply love this album – which also boasts a stunning line-up supporting musicians in Tom Kitching, James Delarre and Danny Tonks.
Neil Pearlman is best known for his ground-breaking approach to the piano in Celtic music. In that capacity he tours regularly with Kevin Henderson, Katie McNally, The Pine Tree Flyers, and as a solo pianist, while playing more irregularly with a wide variety of side projects featuring top Celtic, Americana and Jazz musicians. His latest project, Refractions, is a collection of traditional Scottish and Gaelic tunes, arranged especially for solo performance on the piano.
Neil Pearlman: “The choice to focus on traditional Scottish melodies is my way of paying respect to my roots. Traditional Scottish tunes are some of the very first music I ever heard or played, so going into that repertoire and having a conversation with it as the artist I am today was a powerful experience, and a good way to explore both who I am now and where I come from.”
Some of the tunes on Refractions are familiar, others less so, but what Pearlman does throughout the whole album is find the inherent beauty in each individual tune and present them in an entirely new light. It makes for a poignant and highly intimate album with some exceptional playing.
And finally, while there’s been a heavy focus on instrumental albums in this latest round-up, the ever industrious Irish-born, Dorset-based singer songwriter Owen Moore also has a new album out, another compilation – this one with an Irish theme.
Owen Moore:“My new album is called Songs From The Shamrock Bar and is an anthology of recordings that have all appeared on previous Owen Moore albums and singles over the past ten years or so. All of the songs have a link of some sort with Ireland, which is where I was born (70 plus years ago) and many of them take a nostalgic look at days gone by.”
Always entertaining, with a penchant for engaging storytelling, catchy melodies and gentle guitar picking, Owen Moore’s own brand of Americana-infused singer-songwriting with that special touch of Celtic magic is very much on display here.
Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Mary Beth Carty, is from Antigonish in Novia Scotia and has been a performer of note on Canada’s traditional music scene for some time now, earning a nomination for Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards back in 2009. The album title takes it name from the causeway that links Antigonish to Cape Breton Island, and helps symbolise the fusion of English, Gaelic and French influences that inspired the album.
Mary Beth Carthy: “Crossing The Causeway is my second solo CD, and it fuses traditional songs, instrumental tunes, and original songs. The album could be categorized as Canadian Celtic, folk, and world music. I play multiple instruments on the album including accordion, guitar, bass, jaw harp, bones, triangle, shakers, tambourine, feet, cow-bells, and washboard, and the project also features some of Cape Breton’s best Celtic musicians and singers.”
Carty is a strong believer in the therapeutic power of music and from the evidence presented here it is really not hard to see why. A refreshingly joyful, surprisingly varied and hugely entertaining album from an artist I was not previously familiar with, this one is well worth checking out.
This album from acclaimed Scottish traditional musician and composer, Paul Anderson, forms part of a multi-media artistic project which celebrates the people, history and landscape of the tiny Scottish island of Iona off the coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. The project, In the Footsteps of Colm Cille, features Anderson’s musical compositions alongside work by the painter, John Lowrie Morrison (whose beautiful paintings are incorporated into the album’s artwork), and the poetry of Francy Devine (extracts of which can be heard on the album).
Paul Anderson:“Iona is a special place; few places can rival it for scenic beauty, a sense of the spiritual and for the undeniable weight of Scottish history. Some places just seem to have an intangible feel about them and Iona is certainly one of them.”
With exquisite fiddle-playing from Anderson, a stellar cast of supporting musicians, evocative poetry and beautiful artwork, Iona is a delightful album arising out of a fascinating project.
A double-disc CD celebrating the career of celebrated Scottish fiddler, John McCusker, it features thirty stand-out tracks from the past thirty years, including four brand-new tracks, heard here for the first time.
Not only does the album delve deep into McCusker’s own back-catalogue as a solo artist, it also includes work from his many notable collaborations, too, and the album features artists as varied as Billy Connolly, Kris Drever, Graham Coxon and Eddie Reader (below).
John McCusker:“It’s been an incredible three decades making and performing music. I wanted to celebrate this milestone moment by releasing a compilation of the different albums and stages of my career, alongside including recordings from the many fantastic collaborations and wonderful artists I’ve been fortunate enough to work with.”
A cracking album that showcases McCusker’s absolute mastery of the fiddle alongside some of the UK’s most celebrated artists.
As a big fan of the harmonica, it’s fair to say that it’s an instrument not heard nearly enough in English folk. Will Pound has been on a mission to change that, of course. After teaming up with acoustic guitarist, Jenn Butterworth, for a series of live shows (after a chance encounter at a 2018 folk session became a viral sensation) the pair have now released their first album as a duo.
There is some great musical interplay between Pound (on melodeon and harmonica) and Butterworth (on guitar) as they work their way through a series of energetic tune-sets that combine traditional material with new compositions in a way that is sure to put a smile on your face. Plus there’s one song two, a beautiful rendering of Peggy Seeger’s anti-nuclear anthem, ‘Better Things’, with Butterworth on vocals.
I really enjoyed Pound’s previous album, A Day Will Come, (which Butterworth also guested on) and we can safely assume from the title of this latest album that the pair are in it for the long haul. They have made a superb start here, for sure.
This is the second album from Gaelic singer-songwriter, Gillebrìde MacMillan. The songs on the album deal with a range of personal, political and social issues as well as songs in praise of nature and community.
Gillebrìde MacMillan:“It is so important to have new Gaelic songs and this album is part of the resurgence of new Gaelic songwriting.”
If Will Pound and Jenn Butterworth take us on an exhilarating ride then Sèimh: The State of Calm does exactly what it says on the tin and immediately transports us to a place of tranquillity.
MacMillan: “In the modern world our lives are filled with speed and rushing from one thing to the next, so for this album I really wanted to give a sense of calm, space and reflection in the songs and in the arrangements.”
The album certainly achieves that. I particularly loved the soothing whistles of guest player, Fraser Fifield, alongside Mhairi Hall’s equally soothing and reflective piano. Joining MacMillan there’s a range of other guest musicians and vocalists and the album is beautifully packaged with extensive sleeve-notes in both English and Gaelic.
While there continues to be a rich stream of new folk releases celebrating Scottish and Irish Gaelic, Manx Gaelic, in comparison, doesn’t often get much of a look in.
Manx Gaelic singer, Ruth Keggin, has teamed up with Scottish harpist, Rachel Hair, to deliver an exquisitely beautiful album celebrating the revival of the Manx language from its virtual extinction in the post-war period, as well as drawing together the cultural and linguistic connections between the Isle of Man and Scotland, whose traditional languages both share the same Goidelic roots within the wider family of Celtic languages.
The album’s title, Lossan, comes from a Manx Gaelic word meaning light, glimmer, sheen or flame.
The duo’s vocalist, Ruth Keggin, explains: “The word ‘lossan’ has such a rich meaning and we love the idea of the word being associated with tiny particles of light in the darkness – it felt very fitting to title the album this way. The word also has connections to the sea and sky and it’s these things that connect us both and are so important to our homelands.”
On collaborating with harpist, Rachel Hair, Keggin adds:“I have long loved Rachel’s music and the way she approaches playing Gaelic songs with such sensitivity, so it felt like the most natural thing to work together.”
Rachel Hair adds: “For years now I have been inspired by the culture on the Isle of Man, and its music song and language. I’m so grateful to those involved in the cultural scene on the island for welcoming me – this acceptance has been a real inspiration, giving me the freedom to play the island’s music and help fly its flag around the world.”
The result is an album that combines the pair’s interpretations of traditional Manx songs and tunes with more recently composed material by several songwriters from the Isle of Man, including several by noted Manx poet and musician, Annie Kissack.
Keggin’s crisp, clear vocals and Hair’s delicate, intricate playing compliment one another perfectly and the album represents a moving and rather lovely celebration of both the Manx language and its rich musical traditions.
Originally from Lancashire but having spent time living in both Ireland and Scotland, Tina Jordan Rees is extremely well-versed in the musical traditions of each. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays flute, whistle and piano as well as being a qualified Irish dance teacher. Having released several albums of Irish dance music, Beatha represents her first album of flute and whistle.
Tina Jordan Rees:“In 2018, having not long turned 30, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Thankfully, it was found early and I had an operation which cured it. My outlook on life has changed somewhat since then. I want to enjoy like more, take in the small moments and breathe.”
“It was important to me to be creative once again after the majority of music had stopped during the pandemic. Making music brings me so much happiness and makes me feel alive. I have enjoyed pouring my heart and soul into this album and playing with the fantastic musicians who joined me for it.”
“I decided to name the album Beatha as a nod to this journey we are all on. As ‘beatha’ means life in both Scottish and Irish Gaelic, I feel it reflects my time spent in Ireland and Scotland where I now call home.”
The result is a beautiful, life-affirming album featuring ten tracks of self-composed Gaelic-inspired tunes. Tina Jordan Rees plays flute, whistles and piano, and is joined by guest musicians, Séan Gray (guitar), Lea Larsen (Bodhran) and James Lindsay (double bass).
From sweet and poignant to dramatic and fast-paced, Jordan Rees’ thoughtful compositions and inspired playing takes us on a journey that invokes a fulsome range of emotions. Beatha is an album that followers of Gaelic folk would do well to seek out, whether they are familiar with her previous work or not.
Beatha was released on June 24th and is available on CD and all the major musical platforms.
Gaelic singer, Kim Carnie, launched her solo career in 2018 with the release of her EP, In Her Company. Since then she’s worked with the bands, Mànran and Staran, been much in demand as a session vocalist and in 2021 won the Gaelic Singer of The Year prize at the MG Alba Trad Awards.
In June this year she released her debut album, And So We Gather.
As well as Carnie’s own standout vocals the album features a stellar line-up of the brightest and the best from the Scottish folk scene, including vocalists, Julie Fowlis, Karen Matheson, Kathleen MacInnes, Megan Henderson and Calum MacCrimmon.
The album was written and arranged during lockdown on the Isle of Skye and features five of Carnie’s original songs, some sung in English and others Gaelic, alongside five of her own interpretations of traditional Gaelic songs and texts.
Kim Carnie:“Over the last two years, we have spent too much time apart from the people we care most about. We have had to learn how to show love through our physical absence and find calm in our isolation. This album is a celebration of where we are now: gathering loving and putting ourselves back together.”
“I spent the first few months of lockdown in Glenlyon. I would regularly walk a six-mile round-trip, sneak into our beautiful local church and play the baby grand piano – it was where I wrote most of the album.”
“The album brings together some of my favourite musicians, but most importantly some of my favourite hearts and minds. It’s been a real privilege putting this music together and hearing what others hear in both my songs and the songs of our ancestors.”
Musicians: Kim Carnie – Vocals Donald Shaw – Piano and harmonium Innes White – Guitar, mandolin and vocals James Lindsay – Double bass James MacIntosh – Percussion
Guest musicians: Alyn Cosker – Percussion Charlie Stewart – Fiddle Iain Hutchison – Electric guitar John Lowrie – Piano Kadialy Kouyate – Kora Matt Carmichael – Saxophone Scottish Session Orchestra
And So We Gather was released on 17th June 2022 by Càrn Records
Formed in 2013, Beinn Lee are a six-piece band from Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Two-and-a-half years in the making, the band’s second album, DEÒ, follows their debut, OSGARRA, released back in 2018.
While DEÒ contains a number of the band’s interpretations of traditional songs and tunes, it also showcases some brand-new original compositions, too, in both English and Gaelic. Musically, too, the album combines the traditional sounds of pipes, flute, fiddle and accordion with more contemporary influences. And the result is a stunningly vibrant synthesis of the traditional and the modern. Infectious modern beats jostle with the long-revered sounds of Gaelic folk to produce something that is fresh, vibrant and instantly moreish.
“The feeling of returning to music in 2021 highlighted the band’s roots with traditional tunes and bringing people together to dance,” say Beinn Lee. “That fundamental aspect of the band’s music is part of DEÒ and compliments lots of new material borne out of the band’s strong ambition to drive Gaelic music forward in new ways.”
The band are Micheal Steele, Pàdruig Morrison, Mairi Thérèse Gilfedder, James Stewart, Anna Black, and Seoras Lewis. They’ve been able to bring a strongly-held inheritance in Gaelic song and west coast pipe music with being open to more diverse contemporary influences, too, meaning they are now a much in-demand live act, from festivals to weddings.
Taking a break from catching up with new folk releases these past few weeks while I finished my latest book, this has been a stunning album to come back to. I absolutely love it!
On her long-awaited debut album entitled Gu Deas (meaning south or southern), Màiri MacMillan presents us with interpretations of eleven traditional Gaelic songs. For MacMillan, Gaelic folksong and the Gaelic language is not merely some recent exploration of Scotland’s rich musical heritage. She lives and breathes it and is very much the genuine article.
From Milton in South Uist, MacMillan was brought up surrounded by Gaelic language, culture, music and song and began singing at an early age. Gaelic is her first language and Gaelic songs, and traditions run deep in her family.
“The songs on this album have been learned from recordings of women, mostly from South Uist, who passed on songs for future generations,” she writes in the sleeve-notes.
MacMillan is blessed with one of these beautiful, clear, pure voices that is just so perfect for this material and her familiarity with and deep love for the songs shines through.
The songs have been given fresh-sounding but sympathetic contemporary arrangements by the musician Mhairi Hall, who arranged and produced the album, learning from past recordings of South Uist tradition bearers. Alongside Hall (harmonium, piano, flute, and whistle), the album features Megan Henderson (fiddle and voice), Ali Hutton (bodhrán, guitar, whistle, great highland bagpipes) and Rachel Newton (clàrsach, electric harp and voice).
The extensive sleeve-notes, in both Gaelic and English, provide full lyrics and additional background information for each of the songs. The themes range from mythical creatures to long lost love to banishment to battle laments. An especially poignant moment is at the end of the first song ‘Wily Margaret’ where a few verses from an original field recording of the song, now in the custody of National Trust for Scotland, are spliced into MacMillan’s own version.
A beautifully-made album that will find a suitable home with anyone who has a love for Gaelic songs and traditions.
Electronica duo Whyte have been compared to a Gaelic version of Sigur Rós, their brooding, shimmering arrangements forming a dramatic yet pleasing fusion of tradition and modernity.
Formed back in 2016, the duo are Alasdair C. Whyte (vocals) and Ross Whyte (electronics). Whyte were awarded the Scottish Gaelic Arts and Culture Award in 2019 and in 2017 won the Hands Up For Trad/Creative Scotland Nòs Ùr Songwriting Award for their original Gaelic song ‘Cionran’.
True to their experimental roots, the duo’s latest and third album MAIM is a collaboration with contemporary Gaelic theatre company Theatre Gu Leòr.
MAIM developed out of a partnership with Theatre Gu Leòr and a successful theatre production of the same name.The original theatre production, directed by Muireann Kelly, premiered in March 2020 and saw a run of sold-out shows at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow prior to advent of lockdown last Spring. MAIM, meaning panic in Gàidhlig, is a call to action, giving voice to the frustrations of the next generation who care deeply about the crisis facing their land and language, is how the show defined itself – and attracted a slew of favourable reviews.
“Both the production and the new album explore responses to the panic and horror we feel when time is running out,“ say the duo. “When faced with all we stand to lose – if we don’t make a stand against language and climate extinction.”
The album’s extensive sleeve-notes, curated by Ross Whyte, give the background to the duo’s collaboration and the creative process that inspired each of the ten tracks. A limited-edition book is also set for publication later this summer.
MAIM was recorded at GloWorm Recording with Gordon Maclean and Keir Long. Additional musical contributions come from Seonaid Aitken, Megan Henderson, Patsy Reid, Alice Allen and Màrtainn Skene (strings) and Elspeth Turner, Evie Wadddell, Cian McCarthy and Ruairidh Murray (additional vocals and guitar).
Experimental yet accessible and contemporary yet timeless this album will appeal to many fans of both traditional Celtic folk and modern electronica.
Released: 9th April 2021
Available from: Bandcamp | Amazon (CD, Download, Stream) | Spotify | iTunes | Apple Music | Youtube Music | birnamcdshop.com
The Between Islands Project began life in 2014 with the aim of bringing together contemporary songwriters from Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides and celebrate the rich musical heritage of those islands. In the years that followed a number of diverse individual projects emerged out of this, from joint song-writing ventures through to exhibitions, lectures, films and, of course, live performances.
Come 2020 and Covid was to throw a spanner in the works. Performances had been scheduled at both the Shetland Folk Festival and the Heb Celt festival in Stornaway but, undeterred, project co-ordinator Alex MacDonald sought to translate the project from the stage to the studio.
He explains: “As the project was based on live events, initially we were at a loss as to how it could be saved. Thankfully we were able to redesign what was planned, and this double CD contains both live work previously captured and a series of entirely new tracks recorded in lockdown.”
The result is a breath-taking thirty-track, two-disc collection showcasing some top-notch song-writing, exquisite singing and inventive contemporary arrangements of traditional fiddle tunes.
The thirteen musicians featured are: Maggie Adamson. Louise Bichan, Williw Campbell, Kris Drever, Julie Fowlis, Neil Johnstone, Jenny Napier Keldie, Kathleen MacInnes, Linda MacLeod, Jane Hepburn MacMillan, Arthur Nicholson and Satfishforty.
The ‘lockdown disc’ was created from sessions that paired up artists across the existing projects while also allowing the opportunity for entirely new remote collaborations and compositions. Consequently, the disc begins by introducing the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney musicians respectively over the opening three tracks before going on to explore a range of other pairings. The ‘live disc’ meanwhile was something that had long been planned and features performances from both Orkney Folk Festival and the An Lanntair arts centre in Stornaway. A detailed twelve-page booklet accompanies the two discs.
When live events do, once more, become possible this lovingly-curated CD will undoubtedly ensure the reputation of the Between Islands project will be stronger than ever and their return to the stage warmly anticipated.
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