Features / Leading musicians plan North Atlantic Sessions
A COLLECTION of Shetland’s finest traditional, folk and roots musicians have joined forces for a showcase entitled the North Atlantic Sessions this summer.
Several acts will perform at concerts in Sandwick and Fetlar next month as part of an event which promises to bring some of the local scene’s top talents together in a unique setting “to make something one-off and truly special”.
Artists including Kansa, Haltadans, Vair and Arthur Nicholson will perform at the Carnegie Hall in Sandwick on Friday 18 July with some “surprise special guests” also appearing.
Then on Saturday 19 July some of the same acts will travel up to Fetlar along with many more local musicians. They will spend some time on the island and collaborate to produce and perform material for an evening concert at the small island’s public hall.
Organisers Lois Nicol, Maurice Henderson and Lewie Peterson said they wanted to provide a platform for local acts while recreating the excitement of nights like the Shetland Folk Festival’s “final fling”.
“It actually started with the three of us reminiscing and being a bit bluesy about the end of the folk festival,” Peterson says.
“We love events like that where you can get out and about around the isles and the atmosphere they create and thought we could put on an event like this to Shetland audiences showcasing local talent.”
He added: “Although there are many good musicians and bands in Shetland, there are less opportunities these days for folk acts headlining in their own right. Many acts make do with the odd support slot from visiting artists or for the big festivals.”
Henderson said it was not just about the music, but also a great chance to show off what parts of Shetland have to offer.
“It’s great to get musicians out of their comfort zone and into some of the more remote but beautiful areas of the isles,” he said.
Nicol explained how the event came about: “We put word out to a wide variety of local musicians to gauge interest in organising an event like this, and the response was fantastic.
“We have also been working with Robert Thomson of Fetlar Developments to pull together a great night in the Fetlar Hall and hoping to draw in audience and musicians from Yell, Unst and farther afield.”
“Everyone is right behind it and there seems to be a great buzz about the weekend, with many musicians already sparking off ideas for new materials and collaborations. Hopefully this will be the first of a series of weekends under the ‘For the Love of Folk’ banner.”
The organisers added that they wished to thank the Shetland Arts Fund for its contribution to funding the event.
• Tickets to For the Love of Folk presents… North Atlantic Sessions at Carnegie Hall on Friday 18 July and at Fetlar Hall on Saturday 19 July are available now from Shetland Box Office priced £10 (£8 for concessions).
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