There are few singers with the credibility, consistency and capabilities of Dick Gaughan. The terms ‘national treasure’ and ‘Scotland’s finest’ have been deservedly applied to Gaughan, although bearing in mind the man’s firm stance as an outsider (or in his own words an ‘outlaw and dreamer’) It is unlikely that he revels in such titles.

Yet the question any follower of a legendary performer is bound to ask is, will he manage to succeed in living up to his own body of work? The answer is yes. Gaughan remains on excellent form, with his resplendent guitar playing and mellow yet gutsy voice as keen as ever. I have always found that Gaughan’s vocal is one of most emotive in Scottish music, and the fact that some see it as an acquired taste demonstrates this further. The ability to draw out opinions on the basis of style is the mark of an excellent singer. 

A further tribute to his longevity and consistency was that Edinburgh Folk Club was filled with old and young audience members in roughly equal numbers for its first show of 2008. The venue was ideal Gaughan territory, with enough intimacy to fully appreciate his more solemn moments, and a crowd large enough to soak up his many rousing numbers.

Personally I have always enjoyed the singer’s interpretation of ballads over his contemporary songs, indeed it was probably his treatment of them that first sparked my own interest. Sadly ‘Westlin Winds’ was the only pre 20th century song we were given. However a key part of Gaughan’s project is to sing contemporary songs in a traditional manner, and to treat with the same social significance, without any crass feeling of ownership or a potentially selfish artistic pride. The result is a journey through Gaughan’s personal and national history that is a thoroughly communal experience. There was a point in the evening when, remarking on the inadequacy of Scotland’s largely fictional history, he said ‘Thank god for folk songs’ a remark that sums up the significance of his own work as well as any.

Amidst the celebration of the value of folksong there is also another factor at play, the short sharp side to Dick Gaughan that reminds you, whether you like it or not that there are things worth singing about. There is a firm impression on the collective conscience that when we fail to remember the real rogues and villains, or triumphs and teachings of the past, we get further and further away from changing the present.

Of course this is all down to the essential energy of Gaughan’s expression and the sense of defiance that can only inspire. It is perhaps inevitable that when going to see him there is the worry that ‘the flash fire of youth would slowly turn cold,’ but as he continues to assert at the age of fifty, he is as fired up as ever.