Glasgow Letter
It was great last Tuesday evening to play an acoustic set with my Tide Lines band mate, Alasdair Turner, for the Extreme Hangout at COP26.
For the fortnight of COP, Extreme have taken over the Renfrew Ferry and turned it into a youth-focused hub of like-minded people passionate about the preservation of the planet. The two other artists performing that evening were Raine Stern, from Madison, Wisconsin, and AY Young, from Kansas City. Those guys are incredible musicians and their collaboration was musically outstanding.
For them, though, their environmental activism is equally as important as their music. AY uses his voice all over the world to promote his message and Raine always donates a percentage of her ticket money to environmental causes.
They are committed activists but many more that evening, like us, were simply trying to make small changes in our lives that we hope will have a positive effect.
Tide Lines recently made a decision to invest in Earth Positive merchandise (t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags) made from 100% organic and ethically-sourced materials. We also stock our own stainless steel water bottles which we use ourselves at gigs to avoid relying on single-use plastic bottles.
We’re hardly Coldplay (who are cutting their carbon footprint by 50 per cent on their next world tour and planting a tree for every ticket they sell), but we’re trying in our own small way.
The lyrics of our songs speak so often about the natural environment among which all four of us were brought up and, while we in Scotland are concerned for the future of our natural heritage, there are communities throughout the world that are seeing devastating effects very much in the present. For a lot of the countries attending COP, this is an immediate problem and not a future one.
As a result of our Extreme Hangout gig, I was asked to speak live on Sky News’ instagram account about sustainability in the music industry. I thought I had put my points across as eloquently as I could; until I saw a comment from a viewer down south saying 'What is this guy saying?!' Clearly my Highland accent was providing a challenge for some viewers!
A reminder, before I go, that the 121st Tiree Association annual gathering concert takes place on Thursday November 18 at 7.30pm at Kingsborough Gardens Sanctuary and features a fine line up, including Mary Ann Kennedy, Jamie MacDonald, Kaitlin Ross, John Joe MacNeil, and Kathryn Callender. The gathering dance, as usual, takes place the following evening (Friday November 19) at 9pm in the Glasgow University Union to the music of Gunna Sound. Due to venue policy, a vaccine passport is required to attend the dance and – for both dance and concert – the committee ask that anyone attending takes a lateral flow test.
Tickets must be pre-booked by contacting the association via Facebook, phone (07763 126309), or email: thetireeassociation@gmail.com