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peatbogfaeries.com
Review by Frank Burkitt
I once again found myself in the ABC in Glasgow on a cold,
wet and windy night. The biggest disco ball in the world
hung above a sea of eager folkies, licking their lips in
anticipation. I got over the fact that Guinness was off
and made my way into the excited crowds.
First up were Breabach, winners of the famous Danny Kyle
stage last year. As a result, they performed support for
the Peatbogs, which can’t have been easy. The inevitable
nerves didn’t show however, and they more than held
their own in front of a thousand strong crowd. Ewan Robertson
on guitar was constantly smiling and I didn’t blame
him. The sensational double pipe combo and vigorous double
bass, blew the audiences’ ears back and demanded they
dance. And Patsy Reid’s rhythmic chopping of the fiddle
made the dancing involuntary. An accomplished performance
from a very talented group of musicians.
Enter the Peatbog Faeries. I’m ashamed to say that
this was the first time I’d seen this band live. It
was blues, jazz, funk and dance all injected into traditional
folk tunes. You have to lose any allegiance you might have
towards tradition and open your mind to a mix of musical
genres with folk at the core.
The second band of the night with a lead Piper made me
a little concerned. That is only because I have a slight
aversion to the bagpipes (may god strike me down for saying
such things). However, there was enough musical support
to blend in with the high-pitched intricacy of Peter’s
nonchalant looking piping. He did look very at ease with
an instrument I’ve always associated with red faced,
exhausted looking buskers. Peter makes the pipes very accessible
to the contemporary music scene and for that I applaud him.
The ‘Invergarry Blues’ was one of my favourite
tunes of the night. A grungy blues riff on electric guitar
accompanied with the Peatbog’s very own Blues Brothers
on sax and trumpet, provided a base which I thought was
far too strong for the introduction of any traditional sounding
melody. But then out of nowhere, bagpipes discarded and
whistle brandished, Morrison introduced such a melody with
great groove and finesse. This got the crowds jumping higher
than they already were.
Adam Sutherland’s highly energetic fiddle was another
highlight. The vigour and sheer velocity with which he played
was a joy to watch and a bigger joy to listen to. Graeme
Stafford on keyboards gave several jazz organ solos and
Tom Salter on electric guitar bobbed and weaved from one
side of the stage to the other and impressed with his highly
catchy blues licks.
All in all I enjoyed my first experience of the Peatbog
Faeries despite having no beautiful ladies to dance with
and no Guinness with which to make up for it. I must stress
however that dancing is very much what one should expect
to do when attending this gig. It is a night for queuing
at the cloakroom and clutching the bottled water. Not actions
commonly associated with the folk scene but I’m glad
the Peatbogs have made them as such.
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