Folk and trad: throat grabber of a tune-up tour at Strachur

Two musical duos – reviewed by Lesley Riddoch at the 2009 Orkney Folk Festival as ‘one of the best sets of music I’ve ever witnessed… they grabbed the audience by their collective throats’ – hit Strachur on Sunday 4th July in a special afternoon gig.

This is a ‘Tune Up’ tour, put on under the auspices of the Scottish Arts Council and combining some of the best of English and Scottish Folk and Traditional musicians on the circuit.

Spiers & Boden

One of the duos is Jon Boden (BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2010), performing with John Spiers (pictured above). Described by The Guardian as ‘the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene’ and twice winners of the BBC Radio 2 folk award for Best Duo, they have made the genre of spontaneous, punky English folk very much their own stomping ground.

Loud, proud, and with just a few acoustic instruments, they create a multitude of textures upon which they present traditional stories and dance music which are as much at home on the main stage of Cambridge Folk Festival as they are in a lock-in at the local pub.

They may be best known for their entertainingly experimental work in the folk big band Bellowhead but John Spiers and Jon Boden continue to do what they are best at: playing together.

There are no gimmicks here, and none are needed, for this is another classy reminder that they are the most intriguing traditional duo in the UK, thanks to the delicacy, variety and attack in their instrumental work and the theatrical enthusiasm of Boden’s vocals.

Their newest album deals with outsiders, from beggars and pirates to Shakespeare’s itinerant jester Feste – the album ends with a thoughtful and robust treatment of The Rain It Rains, from Twelfth Night. What makes it special is the almost intuitive interplay between Boden’s fiddle and guitar work and Spiers’ melodeon and concertina playing, best heard on an instrumental piece such as Beggar Boy, during which they constantly switch mood and tempo, gradually moving from a drifting, gentle start to a rousing dance workout.

Saltfishforty

Also on the tour are Orcadian duo Saltfishforty, who are ‘propelled by a punchy drive… An alchemic blend of superb musicianship and empathy.’ (Sunday Herald). Saltfishforty are Douglas Montgomery (fiddle/viola) and Brian Cromarty (guitar/mandola/vocals).

Combining the traditional music of Orkney with original compositions, they released their debut album, Goose Music, to critical acclaim in May 2003. In 2004 the duo were nominated in the ‘Up and Coming Artist of the Year’ category at the BBC Scottish Traditional Music Awards.

Their reputation as a fresh and dynamic live act has seen them established on the Scottish festival scene, and taken them to festivals around the world, including two trips to the Cannes film festival, a week in Austin, Texas and an appearance at the 2008 Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton. They are members of award winning Orkney group, ‘The Chair’.

• This Sunday afternoon concert is on 4th Juy 2010, at 3.00pm in Strachur Memorial Hall.
• Tickets: £10 Adult, Schoolchildren FREE – phone 01301 703504.

There is more information on this event at the Fiddle Folk website.

The photograph at the top, of Spiers & Boden, is by copyright holder Hugo Morris and may not be reproduced without permission.