Carnie was the support artist for Duncan Chisholm, tonight and was backed by the strings and piano, and with Megan Henderson on vocals and violin and with Innes White on guitar. For tonight’s concert she performed Gaelic heritage songs.
Chisholm has performed at every Celtic Connections since 1993. Duncan Chisholm engaged us with beautiful videos of his violin during the isolation of Covid, often shot on perfect locations on the Western Isles. His music has range of tone and atmosphere, transcends time and space. He has composed music of the Western Isles – of the swift-changing skies of Scotland’s western coastlines and dramatic mountain ranges; often foreboding but illuminating and hopeful as light breaks through.
**Tonight he played compositions from his new 2022 album Black Cullins – the ragged range of jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye. He was backed by an impressive line-up of award-winning Trad musicians - Jalath Henderson on uilleann pipes, Ross Ainslie on low whistle, Hamish Napier on keyboards and piano, Innes Watson on rhythm guitar, and Ross Hamilton on electric bass and guitar. Along with a string section led by Greg Lawson.
He began with the tender and forlorn Black Cuillin Theme with accompanying strings; Born on the Wind of Chaos soared with the full band, bass and electric guitar. The band took the energy and vibe up further with piano, pipes, whistle, percussion and rhythm guitar for the tune, To the High Mountain. Beneath the Fortress about the Skye bridge was majestic, as was the intimacy of Donald Shaw’s A Precious Place, who played piano on this tune, and the drama of pipes on Islands on the Edge.
Music of Resolutions.
Chisholm was supported by the excellent Gaelic singer Kim Carnie - Review and Photos here -
Black Cuillin’ tells of a dream journey through this landscape over a day and a night.”
Duncan Chisholm, Scottish fiddle player and composer, has released six solo albums. He tours with the Scots Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and has toured with the folk rock band Wolfstone and the band Runrig.
A Present with no Past has No Idea, Quote Rab Noakes Branch song. Good Roots
So sad to hear the news of our loss of singer songwriter Rab Noakes - what a true gent and legend of Scottish music. Rest in peace. I've had the privilege of taking Rab's photos at several concerts over many years since 2010.
I’ve had several chats with him over the past decade, both in person and online. I have such fond memories in my twenties we used to sing his early songs. More recently my son played an excellent version of his classic Gently Does It and Moonlight and Gold.
Rab was always a smartly dressed folk singer songwriter, and one of the top guitarist. He drew influences from the 60s radio growing up in Fife, much as his musical hero Bob Dylan did too. While he drew on many influences. The story of the song mattered to Rab, so his chat between songs laid the musical scene and atmosphere.
In the 60s and 70s, Rab played with greats such as Gerry Rafferty and Lindisfarne. When I hung out in the folk scene then, i remember well the harmony singing of Noakes songs, such as Branch, Clear Day, Together Forever. Back in 2007 I saw Noakes still going strong at an Oran Mor gig. He often includes a fifties classic, this time a song my husband remembered his mother singing. He is also a dedicated Dylan follower – check out his excellent version of Dylan’s Mississippi.
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| Martha Rafferty & Rab Noakes |
Rab led several tribute concerts at Glasgow’s major music festival. Celtic Connections, for Gerry Rafferty and Michael Marra. I expect we will have a concert for Rab – it’s the passing of a whole generation of the folk scene – and we look forward to the passing of the baton to the younger generations.
He will be sadly missed, his music lives on and in my memories of my son playing his classic "Gently Does it" and Rafferty's "Moonlight and Gold".
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| Rab at Milngavie folk club |
Noakes songs have been covered by Lindisfarne (Together Forever) and Barbara Dickson.
I will post some extracts on his songwriting from my nine RAB NOAKES reviews.
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| Rab at a house party |
**RAB gig reviews on my blog
2010 - Oran Mor
2012 - Concert for Gerry Rafferty
2012 – Milngavie folk club
2013 - Concert for Michael Marra
2014 - tour Barbara Dickson
2016 - MFC
2017 – Celtic, Old Fruitmarket
2022 - MFC
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| Rab with Alice Marra Celtic Connections |
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| Eddi Reader, Rab Noakes, Dougie MacLean |
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| Rab & Kathleen McInnes |
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| Rab & Barbara Dickson |
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| Rab & Jill Jackson |
CHATS with RAB
A gentle, questioning soul – with a generosity of spirit.
I sat beside him at a couple of times at Celtic press release mornings. I told him of my sons guitar playing but that he lacked confidence, Rab said in his young days, performers laid the ground work playing the folk clubs for years – but today people seem to often expect quick, instant results. I told him my son enjoyed playing some of the folk tunes, particularly Gently Does It – I had taken my son to our local folk club to see Gaughan, Noakes, Dylan at Braehead Arena. My son also enjoyed rock and pop and learned electric guitar and bass from the rock band the Red Hot Chillis!
CHATS with Rab at Celtic
I sat beside Rab at the Celtic Press launch on Tuesday. He seemed to know me - maybe from his Oran Mor gig, my review and photos for him and his chatting to me on facebook. Cool and what an interesting guy.
He’s a massive Dylan fan too! I asked him if he mentored younger artists – he said no he wasn’t going to simply give his secrets away! He said that too many young people expected things on a plate, and that they were spoon-fed everything. He had to put in years of graft to learn his craft and he thought that was the way things should be done. He mentioned all these music schools now where they are simply ‘given’ everything rather than finding out for themselves.
I agree. I worry so many young artists in the folk scene for instance have less depth of character in their voice. He said he enjoyed the thread on FB chat with me - interesting thread he said! I told him how interesting the book festival is, and that many authors are also painters and musicians too. I spoke of the Dylan ‘Forever Young’ photos, probably my favourite of an artist. He remarked that Dylan had so much character he must be good for photos. And I told him of the Chinese writer who when he paints only listens to music for weeks and tries not to think in words at all.
*On Facebook I posted – “The best music is timeless’
Rab replied, ‘No, the best music is very much of its time, and that a present with no past has no future.’
Noakes was born in St Andrews Fife in 1947 and grew up in Cupar. He drew influences from the 60s Radio growing up in Fife, much as his musical hero Bob Dylan did too. While he drew on many musical influences. In 1963 Noakes moved to London and worked for the Civil Service, and he played folk clubs at night. He returned to Scotland in 1967 and began a duo with Robin McKidd and they played their first gig at the Glasgow Folk centre. In 1769 he played a months residency in Denmark. Noakes was a founding member of the folk rock band Stealers Wheel, along with Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan.
In 1970 Noakes released his first solo recording Do You See The Lights, a blend of easy going country rock, with a line-up that included Robin McKidd, electric guitar and jazz bassist Ronnie Rae, and included songs Too Old To Die, Together Forever and Somebody Counts On Me.
He played on the first album by Gerry Rafferty’s Can I Have My Money Back in 1971, notably Mary Skeffington. He also played with the band Stealers Wheel. He performed with Lindisfarne in 1972, on songs Turn a Deaf Ear, Nicely out of Tune, Together Forever, and Fog on the Tyne. He recorded with Lindisfarne for a John Peel concert and in 1995 produced a Radio 2 programme The Story of Lindisfarne.
One of Noakes's best-known recordings, "Branch", from the Red Pump Special album, was released as a single in 1974 (recorded in Nashville Tennessee and produced by Elliot Mazer) and received Radio One airplay. He played on a Woody Guthrie tribute album 1987, and toured with the Veraflames – along with Pick Withers, Rod Clements and Fraser Speirs.
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| Rab & Gerry Rafferty |
Fun #folk nights at #SandyBells, Forrest road #Edinburgh still buzzing, after decades of some of the best folk #musicians and the likes of folklorist and #poet Hamish Henderson.
Celtic harp, clàrsach, guitar, fiddle, mandolin,
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as cláirseach in Irish, clàrsach in Scottish Gaelic, telenn in Breton and telyn in Welsh.
In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great skill and long practice to play, and was associated with the Gaelic ruling class. It appears on Irish and British coins, the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, the United Kingdom and Canada as well as the flag of Montserrat.
Noakes performed SONGS: Branch, Gently Does It, Together Forever, Oh Me Oh My, Out of Sight Out of Mind.
This evening at the Milngavie folk club was to celebrate Noakes 75th birthday and still going strong.
Rab spoke of all those significant people he has worked with over the years. Rod Clements, Gerry Rafferty, Brooke Williams, Jill Jackson, Barbara Dickson, And praised the women’s voices - and the all women in his band he had backing him at Celtic connections 2019.b
For his interview with
He spoke of his respect for women’s voices - Helen Forrest, thanks for everything. The gorgeous voice, Jill Jackson, Jo Stafford, unforgettable, And of working with the young Scots singer Iona Fyfe and he spoke of her harassment and Equalities award.
Rab spoke of his influences, such as the Everly brothers, his depth of interest in the song, and of Studio B Nashville, and his experiences travelling in the American south. He spoke of Bob Dylan’s 2021 album 'Rough and Rowdy' ways, a terrific place of work, and quoted from the song 'False Prophet' - I’m the enemy of treason, I’m the enemy of your meaningless life.”
He spoke of his style/ image he enjoyed Italian suits and aspired to be a teddy boy, winkle pickers, He likes to keep things smart. He said he was less political then he was, as it gets in the way, He was asked if he might write s book of his experiences, and replied that authors are very disciplined
He took some audience questions – How much was he influenced by Gerry Rafferty, back in1969 with the band Stealers Wheel? He responded that Rafferty had been a stimulus rather than inspiration.
Noaeks was asked about the best song ever written - he dipped into his back catalogue for the song Westerin Home 1952. He talked of the great Michael Marra and his writing of his Fife connections, and said its good to write songs where you live, to write local.
Rab’s been through some tough years with illness and loosing his wife Stephie last year from MSA illness. “When I had throat cancer, and Stephie got sick, He spoke of the pain but that “I don’t let myself get dragged into dark places, times getting short.” He spoke of writing songs with Stephie which influenced and channelled into his music, with the Treatment Tapes and Water is My Friend.
He keeps his spirits up with music and friendships keeping him going – as do his long time supportive fans! Rab has often played house parties. I hope he keeps writing and being inspired by his musical heroes, such as the legend genius songwriter Bob Dylan!
Noakes’s influences are broad from Americana, folk and blues. His songs express personal and memorable storytelling, matched to his intricate and melodic guitar style.
I will never forget singing in harmony his early songs on folk nights many years ago…
For RURA’s Celtic Connections gig on the final Celtic weekend it was clear the band were glad to be back performing to a live and packed theatre audience. Their past gig in 2020 at their sold-out Old Fruitmarket gig was a rousing and energetic affair, when the band celebrated their ten years together.
Rura are multi-instrumentalists and play keys, pipes, guitar, bass, bohran, flute and drums. The band – Steven Blake (Pipes & Keys), Adam Brown (Acoustic Guitar), David Foley (Bodhran & Flute) and Jack Smedley (Fiddle) – and were joined by James Lindsay (Bass), Mark Scobbie (Kit), Sorren Maclean (Electric Guitar). Plus tonight a String section of Seonaidh Aitken, Megan Henderson (Violins), Pasty Reid (Viola) Alice Allen (Cello);
Tonight there was a expectant hum in the packed venue. This concert was the launch gig for the band’s new 2022 EP Our Voices Echo, in which they have collaborated with several top talents of the Scottish folk world – Duncan Chisholm, Julie Fowlis, Ross Ainslie, Michael McGoldick, and Hannah Rarity.
Rura electrified the Theatre Royal Glasgow with their full wall of sound and lively performance led by fiddle player Jack Smedley and dynamic rhythm guitarist Adam Brown. The band began with a set of their tunes from their 2018 In Praise of Home.
Fiddle-player Duncan Chisholm who has been popular for offering his tunes in idyllic settings during Covid, praised the band, saying he had listened to Rura’s Praise of Home during the lockdown and that it had helped him when the going was tough. Chisholm played on the haunting A’ Mhairead Og, followed by a Runrig song Chi Mi’n Geamhradh and Running the Cross, composed by Chisholm.
Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis sang a poignant Dh’èirich Mi Moch Madainn Cheòthar, backed by soaring flute and fiddle. Michael McGoldrick performed on flute a joyful Famous Last Words (Donald Shaw). Ross Ainslie was upbeat on whistle on Floyd To Ke Anlong and on pipes for Peel Pier Fear, followed by The Wrangler.
While rising talent Hannah Rarity brought the cast and audience together for an uplifting grand finale of Take This Heart Of Gold (Andrew Marlin). For the encore the band played Horizons.
The band are multi-layered and enriching, with fast-paced fiddle, pipes and rhythm guitar, both refined and dynamic, no easy task! Rura is an award-winning, ceilidh band and join the ranks of those top Scottish touring bands. They have appeared on the BBC’s Hogmanay Live and played the main stage at many festivals.
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