Blas 2005: The Barra MacNeils, Calum Ailig MacMillan, The Kiltearn Fèis Rois Fiddlers

9 Sep 2005 in Festival, Highland, Music

Village Hall, Ardross, 8 September 2005

The Barra MacNeils

THE FIRST COMPLETELY SOLD OUT concert of the Blas Festival ensured that Ardross’s splendid Village Hall was packed for the visit of Cape Breton band The Barra MacNeils, a group that has expanded in numbers over the years in their sojourns to Scotland.

It used to be that only four of the MacNeil family – Kyle, Sheumas, Lucy and Stewart – lined up alongside bassist Jamie Gatti, but the current line-up also includes two younger siblings, Ryan and Boyd (whose own band, Slainte Mhath, have also appeared over here) to swell the ranks to six MacNeils, and seven musicians in all.

It’s a family affair, then, and much of the music they perform also has its origins with writers and composers from Cape Breton, although its roots lie firmly in Scotland and – often even more overtly – Ireland.

I have to confess I have never been fully sold on The Barra MacNeils. They seem to me to lack a bit of light and shade in their undeniably exciting instrumental sets, and to lack a singer of real distinction, although they have no shortage of voices in the group, leading to some powerful six-part harmony vocals.

That said, they are definitely crowd pleasers, and had the Ardross audience cheering long before the end of their set. As always, their step dancing routine brought particular roars of approval, and provided another reminder of the way in which the Gaelic culture of western Scotland was transplanted to the eastern seaboard of Canada.

The Kiltearn Fèis Rois Fiddlers played with discipline and style, and clearly relished the challenge of a full house.

The Irish influence was at least equally strong in their music, with distinctively Irish instruments like uilleann pipes, flute, whistle, bodhran and (by adoption) bouzouki prominent in their ever-changing armoury of instruments. Up to three fiddles at a time, accordion and guitar were also to the fore, backed by the contemporary addition of electric keyboard and the seductive pulse of Gatti’s 5-string electric bass guitar (they allowed him a jazzy solo flourish near the end).

They sang a couple of songs in Gaelic alongside their English material, employing three different lead singers – Lucy gets the romantic stuff, Kyle the robust folk songs, and Stewart the corny pub-style sing-alongs.

The Kiltearn Fèis Rois Fiddlers opened the show with several imaginatively chosen and crisply performed instrumental sets under the direction of their founder and tutor, Alpha Munro. The youngsters played with discipline and style, and clearly relished the challenge of a full house.

Double Mod Gold Medal winner Calum Ailig MacMillan from Lewis demonstrated a dark-hued, richly expressive voice in his chosen set of Gaelic songs. He sang beautifully, and played impressively on small pipes into the bargain.

The youthful bean an taighe, local girl Mary McGillivray, was spared the additional onus of the Gaelic lessons and PowerPoint presentations that have been part of many Blas concerts, but coped well – if occasionally (and understandably) nervously – with the bi-lingual introductions.