Colin shares his sadness of lost Connections this January
Mull musician Colin MacIntyre has spoken of his sorrow at having to cancel his Celtic Connections show in Glasgow as well as an appearance at An Tobar's 25th Anniversary celebration, writes Fiona Scott.
Both gigs were cancelled following last week's announcement on the ongoing Covid restrictions.
Colin told fans: 'Obviously everyone’s safety is paramount.
'I was hugely looking forward to playing for you, but we will just have to do it all again at Celtic Connections ’23 and all ticket holders will be contacted.'
This year is also the 20th anniversary of Loss, the debut album of indie pop band Mull Historical Society of which Colin is a founder member.
Inspired by the sudden death of his father in 1999 and his upbringing on Mull, the album reached number 43 in the UK album chart. It contains sound samples from a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry and the waves on Calgary Bay.
'In these times — and in my 20th anniversary of Loss — you as "The Society" and this thing of community generally seems even more vital and continues to drive my new songs and stories,' he added.
'To that end, a new MHS album and reissues of the first three albums are coming this year, which I hope will soften the disappointment of those who were planning to come to Glasgow.'
Celtic Connections confirmed last week that a number of shows and elements within the 2022 programme were no longer able to go ahead.
A spokesperson said: 'Our ambition for the 29th edition of the festival was to bring everyone together once again, however the uncertainty and disruption caused by the Omicron variant has meant it is not feasible for us to continue with our existing plans on the scale we had originally hoped. Artists and ticketholders for the shows affected so far are being contacted directly and we would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and patience.
'We have not come to these decisions lightly and are committed to presenting a form of the festival which brings the connection and joy of Celtic Connections to audiences, while being both feasible and safe for all involved.'
Organisers are also encouraging all artists impacted to apply to the Creative Scotland Covid-19 Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers to help with financial support.