Fiddler to bring flavour of Shetland to Burns gig

A SHETLAND based fiddler is heading south to represent Scotland at a special Burns Night event in Corby next week.

Andy Kain, who works as a tutor at High Level Music in Lerwick, will take to the stage alongside the likes of fellow Scots Alistair McDonald and Richard Morrison at the town’s Corby Cube on 25 January.

The musician is originally from Aberdeen, he moved up to the isles recently after becoming a well-known face at the Shetland Fiddle and Accordion Festival.

Also on the bill at the Burns And Beyond event in Corby is singer and actress Jackie Morrison and despite the night’s theme, there will also be other styles of music – including Shetland fiddle – on show.

“I’ve played with the other performers a few times before, so it’s a nice big family atmosphere,” Kain said.

“The evening will consist of songs and stories celebrating the works of Robert Burns, and then there will be other musical delights, from jazz to Broadway. There will also be a little spot which I have on my own and I’ll be putting in a few Shetland tunes.”

The event is being held in Corby as Jackie Morrison now lives there, while there has also traditionally been a large Scottish contingent in the English town after scores of people moved there in the 1930s to work in the steel industry.

The Burns angle isn’t a new one for Kain, however, with the fiddler a regular on the traditional Scots circuit.

“I do a lot with the Robert Burns World Federation through the year, and I don’t know how many Burns suppers I’ve done,” he said. “But when you do different events, you get new slants on Robert Burns.”