Celtic Connections Review 2009

This 3 week festival in the heart of Glasgow is one of the music and folk calendars biggest events and plays on a world stage, with visitors from around the world. I had a wonderful time taking shots at the Celtic Connections this year and I enjoyed the festival more than last year.  There was a great line-up and variety/breadth of artists and it was good to hear new things being ventured by the younger artists such as with the 'Burns Unit' with Karine Polwart - sometimes things intersect? Well done to all involved.  The festival raises the profile of Scottish musicians and artists worldwide with a gathering of some of the best Scottish musical talent. It also encourages new artists and collaborations as well as bringing over many well-respected artists from around the world.

EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2008 reports

I was reading that the Edinburgh festival is short on cash and may not do a fringe Sunday in the meadows this year, and they also lack a headline sponsor. . There was a big Ticket Box Office problem last year with the new online system messing up ticket sales. I went directly to the venues for my tickets.
THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (EIF) was begun to pick peoples spirits up after the Second World War. We headed over this year on the Friday to the Pleasance venue to see some comedians up from England.

The Martians - “THE SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE” 2008

Edinburgh Festival ‘GREYFRIARS TWISTED TALES’ August 2008
The Martians - winners of “THE SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE” 2008.
‘ Great fun… These boys have a great future .... The Martians have landed.’ Scotsman 'Consistently funny and with quality songwriting, this fast paced madness was pure entertainment' 5 stars Three Weeks. ‘Such catchy tunes that I have stuck in my head, full of fast paced delicious dry humour and clever (twisted!) takes on human foibles and superstitions, love of dogs and Scotland! ..and the Mary Poppins meets Hitler sketch, a pure musical Monty Python!’ 5 star reviews!

The Kielty Brothers and Houston performed at Edinburgh festival with their most professional show so far. They have the backing of Carole Metcalfe of the Bridewell theatre company.

MUGDOCK Music Festival 2008

The second Mugdock music festival June 2008 was a big success with sell out events for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Michael Marra.

The Walled Garden Concerts - were a huge success. On Saturday the perfect harmonies of Prelude from Newcastle ( hit song Neil Young's the Goldrush) After which the Red hot Chilli Pipers rocked it with their pipes and drums and had the crowd on their feet. The Chilli Pipers are talented young men who can play those pipes! AND also dance and rock with the addition of a rock band. They had lots of colour and personality, and the crowd loved them. Their music ranges from the Beatles to traditional Scots tunes. The Chilli Pipers were followed by the colourful Massia Warriors in brightly decorated costumes who managed to smile their way through the rain (which started during their set) and  with jumping and getting the audience involved asking them questions. 

On Sunday the East Dunbartonshire Swing band brought jazz and sunshine, followed by the fun West African beats of smiling Samba Sene and Diwan, and the Beats of Brazil.

For the FREE Courtyard event we had a marquee this year, and it buzzed all afternoon on both the Saturday and Sunday with a strong line-up and variety of artists and dancers. The dancers brought colour and drama and included flowing Chinese, stately Indians and the power of Flamingo. Ben the Hoose from New Zealand (winners of the traditional album). Two young men originally from Scotland on fiddle and guitar who played some top tunes and got everyone’s feet tapping. Ayawarra with funky African drums had the children dancing on the stage. Great fun.

Seylan and Cheyanne played their classic traditional music on harp and cello along with Seylan's rich vocal. The refuges children of the Sighthill Project were a delight both singing and playing their fiddles. Plus festival director Erne Parkin and the Crossborder band entertained with upbeat folk/bluegrass song.  http://pkimage.co.uk/mudockfestival2008