Nairn Academy, Nairn, 1 September 2007

Dàimh.

WE’VE SEEN a bit less of Dòchas lately, since two of their number, Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid, have been forging ahead with their solo careers, but the formerly all-girl outfit (prior to the arrival of bodhràn player Martin O’Neill) sounded in fine fettle opening this Blas double bill.

The sweetness stereotypically expected of female-dominated groups has always been one component of Dòchas’s sound, as highlighted by the radiant layers of harmony that arrayed a couple of slower Gaelic songs, immaculately led as ever by Fowlis.

There was also plenty of thoughtful attention to detail in the alignment of colours and textures within their extensive instrumental armoury, completed by Carol-Anne Mackay on pipes and accordion, Eilidh Macleod on clarsach and Kathleen Boyle on keyboards and accordion, as well as Fowlis’s whistles and pipes.

But Dòchas can give it laldy, too, and did so with relish in an abundance of jigs and reels, with Reid’s livewire fiddle and Mackay’s authoritative piping at the heart of the charge. The finer points of their playing were sometimes lost amid undue haste, but shone through in the more measured weight and swing of midtempo numbers like ‘The Stirlingshire Militia’.

When it comes to fast’n’furious dance tunes, though, few do it better than Dàimh, who somehow contrive to combine blistering pace with both fearsome precision and dazzling heat-of-the-moment flourishes.

The central partnership between fiddler Gabe McVarish and piper Angus MacKenzie, in particular, is a marvel of near-telepathic synergy, and never more so than on this occasion, while guitarist Ross Martin, Colm O’Rua on mandola and banjo, and James Bremner on bodhràn dovetailed the melodies with spring-loaded grooves and fiendishly agile cross-rhythms.

The dynamic and tonal range of their sound is another key asset, building in plenty of contrast and arresting harmonic colour – and with the recent addition of Calum Alex MacMillan to the line-up, this instrumental prowess is now complemented by one of today’s finest young Gaelic singers.

His voice’s beguiling blend of gentleness and strength, warmth and yearning was showcased in a diverse selection of material, from a haunting lament for a dead bride to a rousing diatribe against the evils of butter. The inclusion of vocal material also opened up fresh opportunities for MacMillan’s bandmates, who framed his singing with artfully imaginative yet sparse, always apposite accompaniment.

© Sue Wilson, 2007

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