Peatbog Faeries

3 Sep 2009 in Argyll & the Islands, Music

Queen’s Hall, Dunoon, 28 August 2009

IT IS A rare and exciting occasion when the Queen’s Hall has people of all ages dancing in the aisles – but that was the case when the Peatbog Faeries hit town.

Peatbog Fairies

Peatbog Fairies

The Peatbogs are probably more used to a standing room audience at major – and often outdoor – music festivals, but given the uncertainty of audience size and age range, it was decided that seating for most of the audience had to be provided.

Despite the band’s initial offer to the audience to dance, there was little immediate take up. Maybe Dunoon people and those attending the Cowal Gathering are more reserved than young festival goers!

The first half was well received, with lots of foot tapping and some hardy souls dancing at the back of the hall, but the concert really took off in the second half. Maybe helped by interval sustenance at the bar, the increasing adrenalin from the driving music, or – most apparently – by the band’s offer of a free CD to the first person who danced right in front of the stage!

The offer was taken up with alacrity, and thereafter a good percentage of the audience were on their feet swaying and bopping around to the beat. A few even knew how to dance! By the end the young had weary feet, and grannies were in the groove, waving in approbation of a very special event.

The Peatbogs are representatives of a cross over style of skilled ‘traditional’ musicians who are blending rock, jazz and pop influences to put on high energy and driving performances. They push the boundaries of rather out of date pigeon-holing of music, and do ‘their own thing’ in their own inimitable way.

Not all ‘traditionalists’ approve of this sort of approach or like the increased emphasis on more modern written tunes, feeling that the old tunes are the real tradition. On the other hand it must be accepted that the old tunes were, in their time, new and may have been in their turn criticised as too revolutionary! What is clear – whatever the musical debate – is that there is plenty of room for both the old and the new.

There is clearly a huge potential audience in Dunoon, particularly during the Cowal Gathering, of residents and visitors who just want to come out and have a good time.

As Dorothy Bruce, Vice-Chair of Cowalfest commented afterwards: “The Queen’s Hall was swinging, jumping, rocking with an atmosphere of a major rock festival. There was a wide range of age groups from those who’d jived to jazz to those only a few summers old. The feedback we have had was very positive. The couple in front of us came from Seattle. Their little girl had been a prize winner in the Highland dancing in Glasgow, but had failed to shine in Cowal. I said I hoped she would go home determined to beat the competition next year when she returned.

“Between the two events the family, mum dad and two children, had visited the old country – Edinburgh, Inverness, Skye, which they loved. They said that Cowal and the concert were definitely the highlights of their visit. Others said this was what Cowal Games had needed for years, others just said it was fantastic!”

It was good to see the Queen’s Hall used in such a way. Without a good sized and enthusiastic audience it can, frankly, feel a bit of a soulless barn. But on this occasion the place came alive in response to the rhythm,†beat and joie de vivre of the Peatbogs.

The concert was organised by Cowalfest, in association with Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop, as part of the ‘Gathering Around’ programme which was supported by Homecoming Scotland. It intended to expand the number and variety of events on over the Cowal Games weekend. By the positive audience reaction they certainly achieved the objective. Having a wide range of choices of styles of music and events on over the weekend is essential to the future health of the games, and seems to be appreciated by residents and visitors alike.

They also proved that, if funding is available to market and arrange these events, the market is there in Dunoon for good quality music of all types. It is only to be hoped that funders and sponsors come forward to enable this initiative to be built on in future years.

Whatever group takes up the mantle next year it is clear, from the enormous and diverse efforts that were put in for ‘Gathering Around’ this year, that the way forward is for groups and individuals to cooperate and be in a constructive partnership to deliver the best possible result for the area.

© Mark Morpurgo, 2009

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