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The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Review: 7000 at Floors Castle for Skerryvore's 20-year epic show
The band who has produced seven studio albums, toured four continent tours, won Scotland's Live Act of the Year three times and spread their unique fusion of folk, trad, pop and rock to a global audience did not disappoint with their celebrations. This wasn't a regular concert, however, with several of the attendees I spoke to comparing it to Tiree Music Festival. My sister and I left from Edinburgh on one of five coaches arranged by the organisers. The castle is relatively isolated and does not have the infrastructure to support an influx of 7000 fans and so coaches also left and returned to Newcastle, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Hawick and Galashiels. Built by architect William Adam in 1721, Floors Castle is Scotland's largest inhabited castle and home to the 11th Duke of Roxburghe. I had never been but will be sure to be back for the grounds that we did see were beautiful and the mansion itself played its on role as the backdrop for the artists. READ MORE: Fans stunned as Michelle McManus joins Robbie Williams during Murrayfield gig Hawick band Western End opened the day at around 4pm while fans arrived, wandered around the grounds, and eyed up the array food vans offering paella, steak on fries, burgers, katsu chicken, haggis, neeps and tatties, fish and chips, flatbread wraps, ice cream, and more! I list them to try and communicate the scale of the operation here. This wasn't just your average concert. This was a one-day festival in the grounds of an 18th century castle. Local pop duo The Eves – who previously opened for Belinda Carlise and The Shires – were next, bringing a pop factor to the stage. As we listened, enjoying the energy of the growing crowd, children chased bubbles with glitter on their faces, and I noticed the wide age-range of the crowd. Young groups of friends together, as well as older folk being looked after and shown to the seated area. More and more fans arrived at the grounds, The Laurette's came on and told us: 'Let's get this party started'. The mood completely changed, with the standing room at the front of the stage filling out, and fans really starting to dance. Next up was Skye band Valtos with singer Eilidh NicCarmaig kept the energy going. NicCarmaig also joined Trail West, as well as eventually Skerryvore. Scotland, England, Japan, Ireland, USA (from as far as Alaska!), Norway, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and so many more were all represented in the crowd at Floors Castle. Ahead of Trail West, a glass was raised to the international fan base for being at the core of Skerryvore's 20-year journey. Of course, Martyn Bennett – the late artist and composer often referred to as the father of fusion trad music – and the Vatersay Boys – the internationally-recognised trad band from Vatersay, Barra - were also among those mentioned as integral to where the genre is today in its evolutionary sound and global recognition. READ MORE: How algorithms are reviving traditional Scottish music for the next generation In between stage set-ups, heartfelt tributes from fellow musicians and fans from across the world were played on the screens either side of the stage. Each, 30 seconds or so long, thanked, congratulated and wished – always referred to as – 'the boys' a very happy anniversary. Sentiments included 'it's not just a band to us, it's a family', 'you've grown to be so accomplished, diligent, and professional', 'the respect on stage you all have for each other comes through', 'thank you for being such an inspiration for our children, so much so we have another piper to add to the collection'. A woman we stood next to had travelled from The Netherlands to be in Kelso for the day. She said she had seen them dozens of times, and said they were playing in in November. 'But I'll probably fly over and see them before that,' she said, quite sure of that. Skerryvore, for her, had opened up Scottish trad music and introduced her to Manran, Tidelines, Skippinish, and so many others on the scene. The energy and hype was building and building until, at 8pm, Skerryvore came on to an immense reaction. Saltire flags with their logo and 'No Skerryvore, No party' emblazed on them were waved, cheers echoed off the castle walls, children on shoulders waved as the ones holding them were just as excited. The boys started right away with Alec Dalglish front and centre, piper and whistle players Martin Gillespie and Scott Wood on either side, fiddler Craig Espie to the left, Daniel Gillespie on accordion to the right, bass Jodie Bremaneson back left, Fraser West on drums, and Alan Scobie on the keys, back right. The boys were joined by special guests all throughout the set. Nathan Carter performed a duet with Dalglish, members of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers joined for a tune, and for the closing song, just as the heavens opened, Edinburgh's Royal Military Tattoo Pipes and Drums came to the stage. The feeling of the rain falling, the pipes and drums blasting out, the electric energy in the air and the sheer size of the crowd, was supremely epic. More than innovative sound, intricate lyrical compositions, or breaking barriers for Gaelic culture, as fiddler Espie told me the week before, the band are ambassadors for Scotland when they travel the world and share our sound. Watching the eight members on stage, you could still very much see 'the boys' from 20 years ago in the men sharing that sound. With a refined professionality and showmanship, the lads from Tiree, Irvine, South Ayrshire, Livingston, Ellon, and Erskine were still just having a pub sesh with friends. The only difference? They had 7000 friends joining, and millions around the world rooting for them.
The National
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Skerryvore mark 20 years with Floors Castle gig and new music for global fans
All eight members will be there to celebrate the famed trad band's monumental 20-year anniversary, seven studio albums, four continent tours, three Scotland's Live Act of the Year awards and their unique fusion of folk, trad, pop and rock. The band has doubled in size over two decades, with the four original members – Alec Dalglish, Fraser West and the Gillespie brothers, Daniel and Martin – meeting in Tiree before setting up a base in Glasgow while at university. READ MORE: Kathleen MacInnes captures magic of Tradfest in live album recording Playing pub sessions and small venues across the Highlands in 2003, they went on to leaving dos and weddings in Glasgow, picking up four more members over the decades – Craig Espie, Alan Scobie, Jodie Bremaneson and Scott Wood. Elspie joined in 2006 as fiddler. He shared with The National the early days of the band, the gradual realisation their passion could become a full-time job, pressures of the genres and the future of the band … 'It was alien to us; we played for a purpose, we were a ceilidh band, and that purpose was for people dancing," Elspie shared. 'The realisation that actually we can get away with this – we can play music and people don't want to just dance but listen to us. 'It was a big shift for us. It was quite the moment for the young men who had never actually set out to create a band." The four original members teamed up to play a ceilidh in Livingston for a former head teacher's retirement, and before they knew it, they had packed their bags for a tour that summer and it kept snowballing. Now, their songs have had millions of streams online. Spotify statistics show only two Scottish cities in their top five most streamed areas, with London taking the number one spot. Saturday's gig will be a cathartic experience for the band, having already planned a castle concert five years ago which never came to fruition. Amid their planned celebrations for their 15-year anniversary, the pandemic hit. Tickets had been sold for Inveraray Castle, and disappointment after a streak of constant, long tours meant it was one of the most challenging times for the band, Elspie explained. He said: 'We were all quite tired. When Covid came around and we all had a break, that actually helped us a lot. "Now, looking back, it seems like a lifesaver, genuinely." Members were able to take stock, recalibrate and put in a plan for the future, to make the band sustainable, and bring it back to the core of the music. 'We are literally just brothers' Elspie shared they had 'been very lucky' in how the band blends together with all their individual passion and skills, creating such a well-oiled machine, adding that: 'We are literally all just like brothers. 'We're very lucky – we do our own graphics, social media, accounts. We're very in-house on the business side of things as well as the creative side, which is very important. 'We certainly wouldn't have been able to afford to get to the stage we're at now if we had to employ people for every single thing outside of the music. Skerryvore's first album launch in 2005 / The band en route home from the US (Image: Skerryvore) His top tip for younger bands? 'It's important to have skills that you can transfer in. It'd be lovely if you didn't need to. But realistically that's what works.' Floors Castle is set to welcome 7000 fans to their grounds on Saturday night, and one of the key reasons to choose the Borders location was 'there would be a lot of people'. Fans are expected from the US, Canada and throughout the UK and Scotland. They can look forward to the first live performance of the band's new single, which is being released on Friday – as well as their greatest hits. Elspie went on: 'We didn't want to just do it in Glasgow or in the city – we wanted to do somewhere that showcased a bit of the history of Scotland, somewhere outdoors that you can see a bit of landscape. READ MORE: Inside the Highland trad music school celebrating 25 years of talent 'We looked at different castles, different outdoor gigs, and Floors is just a stunning location. 'When you're able to offer castle gigs, you're not really at the castle, you're in a field near the castle – but we can set up this location up so the backdrop of the show is the castle. That seemed like the perfect setting for the people who are going.' Elspie is referring to the band's international audience. Just back from a tour of Australia, the fiddler said he was surprised by how many knew the band's material: 'If we thought about it in hindsight, it makes sense because there are so many expats out there. But we were all surprised just how many knew our songs.' Having a global audience, Elspie shared that he and the band 'feel as if we're ambassadors' with pressure put on themselves to stay true to Scottish roots. 'We always want to evolve and grow and we want to create our own sound, but at the same time, we definitely want to keep our roots and still have the Scottish heritage. 'As we evolve, we've realised that, as so many other bands are doing now. Gone are the days where a band has to just be drums, bass, guitars, vocals. You can use the bagpipes or the fiddle or the accordion. You can use all these instruments in any kind of music. The band at HebCelt'There are bands out there doing dance or electro music that have these instruments. You've got rock bands using them, and ones that are more pop. So, we have a certain instrumentation that is obviously Scottish in its roots, and so just using these instruments and our own influences musically creates that sound. 'We've got 100 different tracks that probably all sound quite different, so it's trying to find the sound that's the way we think that we sound but also trying to hold that and look forward to what's next.' He added: 'I think we put pressure on ourselves, but we definitely feel as if we're ambassadors. When we go to other countries, we definitely feel like we represent Scotland.' What's next for Skerryvore? Elspie said that although he has had some fantastic moments with the band, there are still so many bucket-list moments to tick off: 'We're doing Glastonbury this year, which is a huge one – finally getting there. We'd love to do a concert with an orchestra at some point. 'We'd love to tour countries we've never been to. We've been talking about going to Japan. There's lots we'd love to do.' When pressed on any collaborations, he wouldn't share, but teased there were some conversations being had with some of the biggest names in Scottish trad in between studio time working on their new album. When asked what song out of the dozens released was most meaningful for Elspie, he shared without missing a beat: 'We recorded a song for the last album called Good Things Never Die. 'The video we did for it was just clips of all our families and friends — some who are still with us, some who are not. So that's always a very emotional piece to play and one of my favourites.'
Sunday Post
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday Post
Skerryvore ready to celebrate 20 years by putting on a Floors show
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up On May 31, all eight members of Skerryvore will stand together on a purpose-built stage in the grounds of Floors Castle in front of 7,000 people. It will feel a little different to when the four original members pulled up stools to play their first gig at a leaving do 20 years ago. 'We got together by chance really,' explained lead singer, Alec Dalglish. 'I went on holiday to Tiree with Fraser's family and we met the Gillespie brothers, Daniel and Martin. Our school's headteacher was leaving, and I was asked if I could put a band together for their leaving do. I called up the guys from Tiree. When we all went to university in Glasgow, we decided to try and get a few more gigs.' The band are not long back from touring America, and before that, Australia. They are three-time winners of Scotland's Live Act of the Year and their latest album, Tempus, went to number one in both the Official Scottish Album and UK Folk Albums charts, and entered the top 40 in the Official UK Charts. Alec said the four boys who started Skerryvore would never have believed where it would lead. © Supplied by Skerryvore 'We very much started out to have fun, and if we made a little beer money that day, then great,' he said. 'That's all we thought it was going to be, we didn't look at other bands and think 'we want to be like that'. We played a few ceilidh tunes, I tried to work out the chords, Fraser played the drums and we made it up as we went along. It has got slightly out of hand over the last 20 years.' A change in the trad scene Craig Espie, the band's fiddler, said the trad music scene has changed drastically in the time Skerryvore has been performing. 'Even in what we would class as pop music today, you hear the trad sound more and more,' he said. 'Ed Sheeran uses a fiddle and whistles, and you've got people like Nathan Evans essentially playing trad music, but as pop artists. We've always been very lucky in Scotland that there has been a culture of young people interested in trad music, but we have noticed that spreading across the world. We've been around for a while – we are getting old – and when we started out there were very few bands doing gigs of any real size. Now you can have weekends where all the big venues across the country are filled with trad-influenced bands.' © Supplied by Skerryvore Alec added: 'Young people have realised they actually like the music of their country. 'Trad' and 'folk' don't necessarily mean something is old fashioned. There are loads of young bands now who see being a professional musician in the Scottish music scene as a viable option for them, and I think that is amazing. If they could all stop selling out the Barrowlands though, that would be great, because we've got tickets to sell.' Evolving sound All eight members have defined roles within the band, but what they have never kept the same is their sound. As the trad scene has changed, Skerryvore's music has evolved with it. Craig said: 'We are working on new material now, and again it is an evolution of what we did last year. I think that is partly because there are so many influences coming from the eight of us; we all have different musical backgrounds and tastes. Even just the subtlety of one person changing what they do can change our whole sound.' Skerryvore XX, their 20th anniversary gig, will be the band's biggest concert to date. They will be joined on stage by special guests including Valtos, Trail West and The Laurettes. There is one song both Alec and Craig always look forward to performing most. © Supplied by Skerryvore 'Take My Hand has to be my favourite – I think because it is everyone else's,' said Alec. Craig said: 'I would agree, it's always the party at the end of the gig, especially when we are playing in front of people who know it. We played it at Hoolie At The Hydro last year and the sound of everyone singing it back, I have never heard anything like it.' Though they have performed to audiences across the globe over the last two decades, Craig and Alec also agreed that one crowd in particular always delivers. 'A Scottish crowd, as you might expect, is the best audience we have,' said Alec. 'We are known to enjoy a party.' Craig said: 'It's like a huge big house party with friends' Here's to the next 20 years? As their anniversary draws nearer, Craig and Alec admitted that they aren't quite sure what is next for Skerryvore, or how long they will be asking themselves that question. 'Another 20 years might be adventurous, but 10 years, hopefully,' said Craig. © Supplied by Skerryvore 'We've never really spoken about the future, we always just keep on going. For me, as long as we are still on an upwards slope and progressing, we will continue to do that. Alec is always writing new songs, we are always writing more material, and people are still listening.' Alec said: 'I think if we felt we had almost become a tribute band to ourselves, or there was only one of us left, it might be time to call it a day. But as long as we still have inspiration, we will keep going.' Skerryvore XX will take place at Floors Castle in Kelso on May 31. Tickets are available at
