OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 26 September 2011

FRESH from the triumph that was her Heisgeir commission for Blas 2011, performed at venues across the Highlands to spellbound audiences, singer and multi-instrumentalist Julie Fowlis shows little sign of losing momentum, writes Joanne Stephen.

She and her band are now back on the road, touring material from her latest album, Live at Perthshire Amber, recorded last year at Dougie MacLean’s annual festival.

Julie Fowlis

In her accompanying musicians – husband Éamonn Doorley on bouzouki, Martin O’Neill on bodhràn, Duncan Chisholm on fiddle and Tony Byrne on guitar – Fowlis has met her match in terms of skill, dynamism, and sheer talent. And it makes for a cracking gig.

Among the highlights was the stunning Tha Mo Ghaol Air Àird A’ Chuain, the story of a young woman longing for the return of her love from sea. Drawn from Fowlis’ debut album Mar A Tha Mo Chridhe, the performance demonstrated a finely honed acoustic sound which played on the strengths of the group as a whole – not least Fowlis’ seemingly effortless, flawless vocal, and Chisholm’s expressive fiddle.

Fowlis’ evocative rendition of Thig am Bàta – the story of the jealous sister, known the world over in varying forms – had only O’Neill’s bodhràn as accompaniment. Shifting between 13/8, 12/8 and 11/8 time, the percussionist’s virtuosity served only to add to the song’s elemental, stripped-back feel.

The great care taken in choosing her material, and the varying influences on Fowlis’ craft are evident. Songs and tunes given to the singer by mentors and friends such as Barra’s Flora MacNeill and Mary Smith from Lewis, sit alongside songs gleaned from old tapes. Rugadh Mi ‘Teis Meadhan na Mara, translated from Breton, is arranged as meticulously as Lon-dubh, a translation of the Beatles’ Blackbird – which is, of course, beautiful.

Part of Fowlis’ contribution to music and to Gaelic and to all of the interplay between the two is this recognition of and engagement with the roots and emerging branches of her music. Sharing these songs and tunes without making her audience aware of this important element is not enough.

Despite a concerted effort on the night to cut back on the talking and let us hear as much of the latest material as possible, Fowlis rightly asserted that ‘the blethering is important, too.’

Joanne Stephen, 2011

Links

• Julie Fowlis