Nairn Academy, 1 September 2006

Blazin' Fiddles

THE TRADITIONAL Gaelic saying “Tha an ceol air feadh na fidhle” may, as described in the Blas Festival mini-guide to Gaelic, mean that “everything is thrown into confusion”, but I prefer to think of its literal meaning, “The music is throughout the fiddle”, when speaking of one of the opening concerts of the Blas Festival.

Nairn Academy played host to an evening of traditional and contemporary Highland music and Gaelic song, with something to appeal to all ages and tastes. Bord na Gaidhlig chief oversaw the evening’s proceedings in both English and Gaelic, as all the Blas events will be.

Every audience member is given a small card with useful Gaelic phrases, and here in Nairn at least, the audience was encouraged to join in with easy, entertaining and useful Gaelic throughout the evening.

The Gaelic content of the event was colourfully enhanced by the efforts of the Nairn Academy Higher music class and their teacher Fiona Sellar, who had produced, in accordance with their remit to decorate ‘in traditional Gaelic fashion’ attractive tartan painted posters with Gaelic words and phrases.

Gaelic is at the heart of the whole Festival, and Nairn kicked off the Nairn Gaelic Choir under the baton of Nina Mackellar, tuning up for their forthcoming participation at the Royal National Mod in Dunoon next month.

The audience enjoyed such as traditional songs as ‘Hi ri ri, tha e tighinn’ and the more contemporary Runrig Classic ‘Cearcall a Chuain’. Following the Blas remit to team younger local performers with more experienced local, national and International performers, local stars Mike and Ali Vass gave us some lively and self assured fiddle and piano sets, teamed with Scots songs such as ‘Fareweil ye Mormond Braes’ and Burns classics such as ‘Westlin Winds’.

The duo obviously enjoyed playing to a home audience and it showed in their performances. Blazin’ Fiddles then took the stage and in their own trademark performance, the five fiddlers, Alan Henderson, Catriona McDonald, Iain Macfarlane, Aiden O’ Rourke and Bruce Macgregor, with Andy Thorburn on keyboard and Marc Clement on guitar, had the school hall on fire with their blistering sets of both well known and lesser known tunes.

The lovely ‘Skylark’ opened their set, which continued with tunes such as the beautiful ‘Catalina Waltz’. Humour abounds, of course, and the audience appreciated it all hugely.

The Blazers can hold an audience spellbound with moving, tender, emotive melodies or set the place hopping, till sparks fly from their bows. From large international venues to village halls, they continue to remain one of the best live acts in the business today.

If this night was indicative of the Blas programme, audiences cannot fail to get both values for money and a superb evening’s entertainment.

Blas runs until 9 September in venues in Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh, Ross-shire, Sutherland, Caithness, Nairn and Badenoch & Strathspey.

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2006

Link

• Blas Festival