Elbow singer picks Shetland as nature inspiration
SHETLAND has featured on a list of places in the UK and Ireland that inspire music artists – with Elbow singer Guy Garvey praising the wildlife he once experienced on a trip to the isles.
The map was published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and campaign group Music Declares Emergency earlier this week.
The project aims to highlight how “nature fuels creativity, supports wellbeing and drives climate action” – and why it should be protected.
Garvey said he visited Shetland to make a bird-themed Radio Four documentary called In Search of the Holy Quail, which first aired in 2009.
He was joined by other musicians and creatives including DJ Marc Riley and British Sea Power’s Martin Noble.
Reflecting on his trip, Garvey said: “In one day three extraordinary things happened that I still remember vividly.
“I saw storm petrels, which live in a tower from thousands of years ago, the Iron Age broch, take wing and create a black whirlwind in the sky.
“I saw the biggest gannet colony in Europe with thousands of birds all looking like Elizabeth Taylor.
“And I saw puffins landing. If you’ve never seen a puffin land, they look like they’ve never done it every time they come in!”
Garvey added his visit to Shetland came during the summer months.
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“The memory of the endless day and those fabulous creatures connects me to the world in a really meaningful way,” he added.
“To think that this life is going on all the time is a wonderful feeling.
“And I love birds. Which is why they are on every Elbow record in some way or another.”
Elbow are one of the country’s most eminent indie rock bands, having released ten studio albums and picked up accolades such as the Brit award for Best British Group.
They are best known for songs such as One Day Like This, which has become a festival favourite, and Grounds for Divorce.
Shetland is just one of four Scottish entries on the music nature map.
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