News / Oodles of live folk music
TWO OF Scotland’s leading young singer-songwriters, Adam Holmes and Rachel Sermanni, are returning to the islands for a brace of shows in September.
Holmes and his band The Embers are touring their second album ‘Brighter Still’, which was released in June.
Sermanni will be joined by Orcadian pianist Jen Austin to perform material from ‘Tied to the Moon’, her second album which has been nominated for a SAY (Scottish Album of the Year) award.
Both acts will perform sets – and collaborate with one another – at Sandwick’s popular Carnegie Hall venue on Friday 9 September, before moving onto Mareel the following night. Support in Sandwick will come from Sheila Henderson, Freda Leask and friends, while Matthew Adam will open in Lerwick.
Holmes and his band won rave reviews for their sets at the 2014 Shetland Folk Festival and this will be their third visit to Shetland. ‘Brighter Still’ includes nine new numbers penned by Holmes including ‘Love Down the Line’, a duet with Eddi Reader.
Sermanni, meanwhile, first performed in the isles as the opening act for folk-pop juggernaut Mumford & Sons before returning to play at Mareel under her own steam.
Pianist Austin will also make a second trip to Shetland later in September with Orkney-born, central belt-based trad outfit Fara.
The group feature talented fiddlers Jeana Leslie, Kristin Harvey and Catriona Price and perform a mixture of self-penned and traditional fiddle tunes as well as some songs.
Fara are touring this autumn to launch their debut album ‘Cross the Line’. They won great acclaim for their appearances at the folk festival in 2015 and employ three fiddles, a piano and vocals to produce a fiery sound rooted strongly in their Northern Isles upbringing.
They play at Mareel on Thursday 29 September alongside Danish five-piece Himmerland, who previously appeared at the Lerwick venue shortly after its 2013 opening, and classy local traditional group Haltadans.
Neil Riddell of local promoters Ragged Wood said all three gigs would be “a great showcase of what the roots scene in Shetland and Scotland has to offer, from beautiful songs and vocals to fresh and innovative fiddle tunes”.
Meanwhile, later in the year another supremely talented Scottish folkie, Kris Drever, will be showcasing his new album ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ with the help of some of the musicians he recorded it with.
Percussion and backing vocals will come from Admiral Fallow frontman Louis Abbott, while he will also be joined by bass player Euan Burton and one of Shetland’s finest guitar exponents, Arthur Nicholson, for two gigs.
All 140 tickets for his date at Carnegie Hall, Sandwick on Friday 4 November sold out within days of going on sale. A second show, at Bixter Hall a night earlier, has been added.
- Tickets to see Adam Holmes & the Embers, Rachel Sermanni et al live at Carnegie Hall on Friday 9 September and at Mareel on Saturday 10 September are on sale from Shetland Box Office.
- Tickets to see Fara, Himmerland and Haltadans live at Mareel on Thursday 29 September are also on sale now.
- A limited number of tickets to see Kris Drever live at Bixter Hall on Thursday 3 November are still available from Shetland Box Office.
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