Musical notes:

Perth Concert Hall, September 1

They were only supposed to play four concerts. Now Blazin’ Fiddles “suddenly” find themselves celebrating their 20th anniversary.

The “suddenly” comes from Bruce MacGregor, the band’s senior member and the host of BBC Radio Scotland’s Travelling Folk, who says that the time between those initial concerts and their current tour has vanished in a blur.

It was MacGregor who originally had the idea to present a celebration of the regional fiddle styles from across the Highlands and Islands. He had just returned from the US where people he met assumed that Scottish fiddle music was dead.

“On BBC Radio Scotland back then all you might hear was Cape Breton and Irish fiddle music,” says MacGregor. “I knew people my own age who were still playing in the styles their teachers taught them. So we brought together players from the east coast, the west coast, the Highlands and Shetland to play four concerts as part of the Highland Festival, the forerunner of Blas.”

The idea was for each fiddler to play two solo pieces and then all six – MacGregor, Duncan Chisholm, Iain MacFarlane, Aidan O’Rourke, Catriona Macdonald, and Allan Henderson – would converge for a big stramash at the end with guitarist-accompanist Marc Clement. By the fourth concert, the big stramash had become too much fun for them to stop there.

“Just beforehand I’d been working on a radio programme called Blazin’ Fiddles,” says MacGregor.

“It was all about the burning of fiddles as instruments of the devil by the church in parts of 19th century Scotland. So there was this idea of the fiddle rising from the ashes that fitted in with our thoughts about showcasing the music that had survived, and Blazin’ Fiddles we became.” Annual tours of Scotland and England and a series of albums followed. In time, various members left, although they all remained friends. MacGregor feels, however, that the band in its current guise – with Shetlander Jenna Reid, Orcadian Kristan Harvey, Nairnborn Rua MacMillan plus rhythm team Anna Massie and Angus Lyon – is stronger than ever.

“We played a 20th anniversary concert at Celtic Connections in January with everyone who has ever been in the band,” says MacGregor.

Having marked their 10th anniversary with a series of concerts called Strings Attached, which featured Eddi Reader and Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie, they decided to invite Gaelic singer Karen Matheson as their guest.

“As anyone who has heard her with Capercaillie will know Karen’s one of the best, so we’re delighted to have her singing with us,” said MacGregor.

Blazin’ Fiddles are all fired up for new concerts on their 20th anniversary.