MUSIC | Folk
Edinburgh ■ Penguin Cafe The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7pm. £18.50. Arthur Jeffes’ group Penguin Cafe was formed with the intention of carrying on in the tradition of his father’s band, the much-loved folk innovators the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. ■ Scots Music Group Courses Boroughmuir High School, 26 Viewforth Bruntsfield, 555 7668. 7–9pm. £44 (£36; members £30–£38). SMG are running three four-week courses – DADGAD Guitar with Tom Oakes; Gaelic Song with Patsy Seddon and Session Etiquette with Mark Neal & Eilidh Steel – starting 25 Feb. ■ The James Brothers Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £7. The James Brothers aren’t actually brothers and only one of them is called James: James Fagan is an Australian singer/guitarist/bouzoukist (as well as life/musical partner of ace fiddler Nancy Kerr), while Jamie McClennan is a Kiwi singer/fiddler/guitarist, but they do share a common love of folk, bluegrass, blues and bad jokes. ■ Ceilidh Club Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. 8pm. £6. Ceilidh dancing, furious fiddlers and callers from the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club lead you through the steps. Live music comes from The Scott Leslie Ceilidh Band.
Wednesday 26
Glasgow ■ Ceilidh Dance Classes St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 559 5902. 7.15pm. £5.50. Tricia Matthews leads these ceilidh dance classes. Edinburgh ■ Simon Bradley Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). Intimate original folk. Tune Book gig featuring Ross Ainslie and Mairearad Green.
Perth ■ Trad From Scratch Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7pm. £5. Dust down those instruments and get involved with a traditional session aimed towards beginners. Learn some tunes by ear and then develop your way up to playing the harmonies. Thursday 27
Edinburgh ■ Esther Swift The Caves, Niddry Street South, 557 8989. 7pm. £8. The Scottish singer-songwriter and harpist launches mixes folk, blues and minimalism. Launching The Mairches.
84 THE LIST 20 Feb–20 Mar 2014
Friday 28
Wednesday 5 Monday 10
Glasgow ■ Anais Mitchell St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 559 5902. 7.30pm. £14. The American singer- songwriter performs rearrangements of epic old folk songs, focusing on ballads collected by Sir Francis James Child. Paisley ■ KAN Paisley Arts Centre, New Street, 0300 300 1210. 7.30pm. £10 (£6). Instrumental folk quartet featuring Brian Finnegan (Flook), Aidan O’Rourke (Lau), Ian Stephenson and Jim Goodwin.
Saturday 1
Glasgow ■ Film’s Craic CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 6.30pm. £10 (£8). A synthesis of traditional and contemporary, featuring live performances in song, harp, electroacoustics and film. Featuring Gaelic song, introduced in a panel discussion with guest singers. Under 14s welcome until 10pm. Part of Glasgow Film Festival.
Edinburgh ■ Scots Music Group Ceilidh St Bride’s Centre, 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405. 7.30pm. £8 (£6) advance; £10 (£8) on the door. Fundraising ceilidh of traditional music and dancing. Featuring The Occasionals. Falkirk ■ NAAFC Annual Accordion & Fiddle Festival The Priory at the Inchyra Grange, The Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel, Grange Road, Polmont, 01324 711911. 9–12.30am. £3–£6 (dance £3–£8). All-day accordion and fiddle competitions, prize-winners concert and a closing dance, if your feet weren’t already a-tapping.
Sunday 2 Edinburgh ■ Gary Anderson Wee Folk Club, Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, 557 2976. 8.30pm. £5. When he’s not playing guitar and bass in a variety of bands, Gary Anderson plays it solo with a mix of original tunes and covers of folk, country and rock.
Monday 3 Glasgow ■ The Head & The Heart Òran Mór, 731–735 Great Western Road, 357 6200. 7pm. £11. Indie-folk with rock elements from the Seattle band that came together at an open mic night.
Tuesday 4
Glasgow ■ Blueflint The Admiral, 72a Waterloo Street, 221 7705. 7.30pm. £10. Lady banjo players extraordinaire tour their bluegrass ballads. Edinburgh ■ Communion Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. 7pm. £8. The record label that began as an independent stage for London’s flourishing young musicians presents the newest kids on the roster in their New Faces Tour. ■ String Circle Fiddle Class St Bride’s Centre, 10 Orwell Terrace, 346 1405. 7–9pm. £84 (£60). Learn to play the fiddle in a relaxed group in Edinburgh. Note: this course begins Tue Jan 14 and runs until Tue Apr 1. ■ Gavin Pennycook Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £7. Scottish and Irish music on the nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle). ■ Ceilidh Club Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. 8pm. £6. Ceilidh dancing, furious fiddlers and callers from the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club lead you through the steps. Deoch n’ Dorus guest.
Glasgow ■ Tony McManus St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 01644 420374. 7.30pm. £12. An acoustic evening with this virtuoso guitarist. ■ Communion King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street, 221 5279. 8.30pm. £8. See Tue 4. Edinburgh ■ Quicksilver Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). Grant Baynham’s guitar and songwriting skills produce comic songs brought to life by Hilary Spencer’s vocals.
Thursday 6 Edinburgh ■ Josie Rose The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. 7.30–11pm. £6. Young singer-songwriter and harpist from the Isle of Lewis. Launch of her debut EP Typewriter. ■ David Ford The Caves, Niddry Street South, 557 8989. 8pm. £10. A night of country, pop, Americana and honky tonk blues.
Friday 7
Ayr ■ Jarrod Dickenson Gaiety Theatre, Carrick Street, 01292 288235. 7.30pm. £13.50 (£12.50; students £10). Americana, folk and roots blues singer- songwriter.
Dunfermline ■ Emily Smith Carnegie Hall, East Port, 01383 602302. 7.30pm. £14 (£12). The top folk singer and a former winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year award bridges the gap between old and new in Scottish folk music. Livingston ■ The Ganda Boys Howden Park Centre, Howden, 01506 777666. 7–9.30pm. £12 (£10). African pop music with a Ugandan flavour.
Stirling ■ Tony McManus Tolbooth, Jail Wynd, 01644 420374. 8pm. £12 (£10). See Wed 5.
Saturday 8
Glasgow ■ John Langan Band Òran Mór, 731–735 Great Western Road, 357 6200. 7pm. £8. Contemporary folk mixed with gypsy swing and Balkan influences from this singer/songwriter and band. Edinburgh ■ Emily Smith The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7pm. £15 (£13). See Fri 7.
Penicuik ■ Made in Scotland Penicuik Arts Centre, 4 West Street, 01968 678804. 7.30–9.30pm. £8 (members £6). Tessa Ransford reads poems from her newly released book Made in Edinburgh and Kirsty Law sings traditional Scots songs.
Sunday 9
Edinburgh ■ Roots Showcase The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 8pm. £5 (£4). See Sun 23. St Andrews FREE StAnza Finale with King Creosote Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, 01592 611101. 10–11.30pm. Come and party along as our musicians play out the festival in style. With music from King Creosote, Captain Beeko, Gummi Bako and Uncle Beesly. Part of StAnza: Scotland’s Poetry Festival.
Edinburgh FREE Antihoot Open Stage Henry’s Cellar Bar, 8–16 Morrison Street, 629 4101. 7.30pm. See Mon 24. Tuesday 11
Glasgow ■ Alan Reid & Rob Van Sante The Admiral, 72a Waterloo Street, 221 7705. 7.30pm. £8. Alan of the Battlefield Band and guitarist Rob with music from old and new traditions. Edinburgh ■ Cafe Ceilidh Gorgie City Farm Café, 51 Gorgie Road, 337 4202. 1.15pm. Donation. Relaxed day time traditional music session hosted by Linten Adie, for Scots Music Group. ■ Scots Music Group Courses Boroughmuir High School, 26 Viewforth Bruntsfield, 555 7668. 7–9pm. £44 (£36; members £30–£38). See Tue 25. ■ Mairi Campbell Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park Hotel, 221 Ferry Road, 07502 024852. 7.30pm. £7. Folk vocalist who picked up the Singer of the Year award at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2007. ■ Ceilidh Club Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. 8pm. £6. Ceilidh dancing, furious fiddlers and callers from the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club lead you through the steps. Featuring Lomond Ceilidh Band.
Wednesday 12
Glasgow ■ Stu Larsen & Natsuki Kurai and The Van T’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street, 221 5279. 8pm. £8. Acoustic vagabond from Australia joined by Japanese harmonica maestro. Edinburgh ■ Alan Reid & Rob Van Sante Edinburgh Folk Club, Cabaret Bar, 60 The Pleasance, 650 2458. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; members £6). See Tue 11. ■ James Yorkston, The Pictish Trail and Seamus Fogarty The Pleasance, 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. 8–10.30pm. £12 (£10). Presented by the Pleasance Sessions, this one-off event features one of Scotland’s foremost musicians, James Yorkston, with folkatronic types The Pictish Trail and singer-songwriter Seamus Fogarty.
Thursday 13
Glasgow ■ Clannad & Mary Black Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £28.50– £32.50. Two titans of crossover Celtic music come together on this tour. Edinburgh ■ Café Voices Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 7–9pm. £5. A relaxed session of oral storytelling, poetry by memory, music and song. For ‘Voices from the Olive Trees’, Jan Sutch Pickard recounts tree planting and olive harvesting in the West Bank alongside Palestinian families and Israeli peace activists. ■ Dar Williams The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. 8pm. £13. American singer-songwriter and guitarist performs folk-pop and alternative country.
Lanark FREE Rua MacMillan and Suzanne Houston Lanark Memorial Hall, St Leonards Street, 01555 667999. 2–3pm. Young Glasgow-based traditional music duo play tunes by legendary Caithness musicians. Musselburgh ■ The Fureys & Davey Arthur The Brunton, Ladywell Way, 665 2240. 7.30pm. £18 (£16). The Irish legends