School pipe band to join Skerryvore for 2017 Oban Live
Oban High School ( OHS) Pipe Band will join trad-rock artists Skerryvore on stage at this year’s Oban Live music concert.
OHS Pipe Major, Angus MacColl, said: ‘We are incredibly honoured to be invited to play on stage with the sensational Skerryvore. This is a fantastic opportunity for our young band members to showcase their talents to an audience of thousands – and in their local town, too. We are all very excited to rehearse with West Coast favourites Skerryvore. All those headed for Oban Live this summer are in for a treat!’
OHS Pipe Band is the last act to be revealed in a busy week of announcements from the event. Announcing live on Oban Live’s Facebook page, Mànran, Tide Lines and Trail West all confirmed they will play Argyll’s largest live music event on June 2 and 3 this year. The event also announced that remaining tickets WILL go on sale on Saturday (January 28) at 3pm.
Daniel Gillespie of Skerryvore and Artistic Director for Oban Live added: ‘Angus MacColl is a piping legend and a real hero of ours growing up on Tiree learning to play traditional music, so to have him join us on stage in Oban along with his brilliant group of pupils will be a very special collaboration for us. We are also delighted to announce that Trail West, Mànran and Tide Lines will join us in Oban, as not only are they great friends but they are three of the most exciting acts on the Scottish scene today – all bringing their own brand and fusion of West Coast music. We still have three more acts to announce as well as some other special guests so watch this space for more exciting announcements.’
Streaming live from Glasgow’s Barrowlands before taking to the stage at Celtic Connections on Friday January 20, Gary Innes of multi-award-winning folk-rock group Mànran said: ‘ We are delighted to announce that we are coming to Oban Live this year. It was a massive year for Oban Live last year and this year is going to be even bigger. Look forward to seeing you all in June.’
With traditional Celtic roots and songs in both English and Gaelic, Mànran’s fiery tunes from fiddle, accordion, flute, uilleann and Highland bagpipes are known to bind powerfully to a rhythm section awash with elements of funk, jazz and rock to create innova- tive and uplifting instrumental music.
The exciting quartet Trail West soon followed were the second act to reveal that they will be joining the Oban Live line-up this year. With band members hailing from Tiree and South Uist, the music and culture that they were raised in remains a pure and refreshing trademark in the sound of Trail West. Oban Live’s audience will be treated to the incredible musicianship of frontline pair Seonaidh MacIntyre and Ian Smith through high- energy tunes and arrangements, accompanied by the multi-instrumental talents of Andrew Findlater and Alain Campbell.
Yesterday (Wednesday January 25), four piece Scottish band Tide Lines were the third act to announce they will play Oban Live this summer. Whilst heavily influenced by the traditional music of the West Highlands and Islands, their highly eclectic sound is driven by acoustic and electric guitars, with drums and keyboards. Their first single, Far Side of the World, entered the UK download charts ahead of popular tracks by Coldplay, Adele and Beyoncé, less than 24 hours after the band was launched on social media in June 2016. Tide Lines consists of Oban Times columnist Robert Robertson from Lochaber, Ross Wilson from Mull, Alasdair Turner from Alness, and Fergus Munro from Glasgow.
The acts join a whole stream of talented Scots and Irish artists confirmed for the event, including Admiral Fallow, Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire, We Banjo 3, Skipinnish, Skerryvore and the collaboration of Argyll Ceilidh Trail and Ceol an Aire.
Paul Bush OBE, director of events at VisitScotland, said: ‘Scotland is the perfect stage for cultural events and EventScotland is delighted to be once again supporting Oban Live, showcasing the very best Scottish and International talent. These additions to what is already a fantastic line-up will capture the imagination of visitors from both the local area and further afield.’