Sound Of Scotland
It’s almost time for the annual MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, so take the opportunity to see what’s new
Columnist Lisa-Marie Ferla previews the Scots Trad Music awards
SCOTLAND’S “folk Oscars”, the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, always offer a cosy night of music to round off the year.
Taking place at Aberdeen’s Music Hall on Saturday, December 7, the 17th iteration of the awards will celebrate the best Scots singers, musicians, composers and songwriters across 18 categories.
Among the acts performing on the night are Tiree-based Celtic rockers Skerryvore, 2019 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Benedict Morris, and Glasgow six-piece Heisk, one of last year’s Up and Coming Artist nominees who are currently crowdfunding their debut album.
Four years after her charming debut, singer-songwriter Laurie Cameron is back with a new collection inspired by the works of Robert Burns. Something In Us Never Dies was produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones and includes Honest Man, a re-interpretation of a Burns-penned eulogy released last year as a tribute to the late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison.
That song has also been pressed to vinyl and released, along with a poem by Philadelphia-based Francis Daulerio, All Is Not Lost, a record to benefit the Hutchison family’s Tiny Changes mental health charity. The EP can be purchased at a launch event, at which both Cameron and Daulerio will perform, at Edinburgh’s Netherbow Theatre on December 22.
Edinburgh duo Blue Tiles joke that they have coined a whole new genre in Melancholitronica, their latest release – although poppier tracks like Headland are the perfect foil to the album’s moodier moments. The album is out on Errant Media, the Leith-based boutique label run by the duo’s Sean Ormsby.
Glasgow trio Cloth close out another strong year from crowdfunded indie label Last Night From Glasgow Records with their self-titled debut album, recorded at the city’s Chem 19 studios across 2018 and 2019.
Duelling guitars from twins Rachael and Paul Swinton, plus Rachael’s dreamy vocals and Clare Gallacher’s
It’s an intense work inspired by Fife forests landscapes” and Icelandic
innovative percussion create a distinct, immersive sound that’s best enjoyed loud.
Su Shaw, the Scottish-portuguese songwriter and producer who releases lush, introspective electronica under the name of SHHE, has had a busy year, opening for Kathryn Joseph on her UK tour and releasing her debut album on One Little Indian Records – home to Björk – in October. It’s an intense work inspired by Fife forests and Icelandic landscapes, and by connections Shaw has made among Dundee’s artistic community.
Enigmatic folk songwriter David Thomas Broughton may hail from somewhere near Leeds, but spending time in Edinburgh in the mid-2000s – along with connections to the city’s dormant Song, By Toad record label – classes him as an honorary Scot in my book. The 15th anniversary of his critically-acclaimed debut album The Complete Guide to Insufficiency has tempted Toad out of retirement, teaming up with original micro-label Birdwar Records on a limited edition vinyl reissue.
To London, where Karine Polwart brings her Scottish Songbook – re-imagining songs from across 50 years of Scottish pop – to the Barbican on November 27.
Finally, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift for the music-lover in your life, pop along to the Glad Cafe in Glasgow. Local artists and musicians, including Turner Prize nominees Monster Chetwynd and Cathy Wilkes, have contributed artwork for a series of limited edition prints for a unique fundraiser conceived by Ruth Ewan.