Orkney duo bring Celtic verve to town

Orkney-based folk duo Saltfishforty are set to bring their Celtic verve to Fort William this month when they perform a one-off show at Ben Nevis Distillery.

Consisting of fiddler and viola player Douglas Montgomery and multiinstrumentalist and singer Brian Cromarty, the band infuses traditional Scottish folk styles with a clear influence of blues and jazz.

Their newest album, Bere, is named after a form of six-figure barley that is unique to Orkney. Its songs are rich with the island’s history – their song The Odin Stone recalls the day Orkney’s famous holed monolith was destroyed in an act of vandalism, and The Jack Snipe tells the tale of the Orkney schooner Jack Snipe’s fate in 1907 when it vanished without a trace.

‘We’ve been on the go for a good while but because we’re part-time there are still new venues to discover right through Scotland,’ said singer Cromarty. ‘We played in Oban a couple of years ago and have been to Skye, but it’s our first time in Fort William.

‘Though Bere came out in 2017, it still feels as if we’re on the launch tour.’

The band will play on Thursday August 16 at the distillery at 8pm. Tickets are £11 in advance or £12 at the door, but the band is offering attendees £1 off if they walk or cycle to the performance. For more booking information, contact creelevents@ gmail.com.