Top Folk Acts to Perform at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket in the Spring of 2010

Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket will host some top folk music over the next few months as part of the spring Fruitmarket Folk season, which features performances by singer-songwriter Kieran Goss, high octane all-star ensemble Blazin’ Fiddles, Irish raconteur Finbar Furey, Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid and acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.

Northern Irish singer-songwriter Kieran Goss launches the season on Thursday 4th March when he visits the Old Fruitmarket as part of his I’ll Be Seeing You tour, which marks the release of his new album of the same name. As well as showcasing some of the beautifully crafted, reflective songs from his latest record, he’ll perform favorites from his popular back-catalog.

Sunday 14th March sees Blazin’ Fiddles return to Glasgow following their 10th anniversary celebrations at Celtic Connections 2009. Hailed by The Scotsman as “the Led Zeppelin of the folk world” and as “absolutely mindblowing” by BBC Radio 2’s Mike Harding, they’ve performed everywhere from remote village halls to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Fiddlers Catriona MacDonald, Bruce MacGregor, Allan Henderson and Iain MacFarlane are joined by Anna Massie on guitar/fiddle and Andy Thorburn on keyboard to bring together the distinct flavours of fiddle music from various regions of Scotland.

On Sunday 18th April, the All-Ireland uilleann pipe champion, whistle player, singer-songwriter, 5-string banjo player, guitarist and actor Finbar Furey takes to the Old Fruitmarket stage. Championed by John Peel early in his career, Finbar fronted The Fureys for 30 years before becoming a successful solo artist and, more recently, an actor. He appeared alongside Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen in the award-winning film Strength and Honour, and in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, which featured his song Girls of New York on its soundtrack.

Premiered as a Celtic Connections New Voices commission in 2008, Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid reprises her Bridging the Gap composition at Fruitmarket Folk on 4th May as part of a Scottish Arts Council Tune Up tour. Patsy will take the role of soloist, accompanied by an all-star ensemble including Greg Lawson, Peter Tickell, Natalie Haas, Mairi Campbell, Duncan Lyall, Iain Copeland and Michael Bryan. Bridging the Gap – which takes the form of a violin concerto – combines her love of traditional and classical music, and was hailed as “an attractive and skilfully assembled work that is coherent, imaginative and beautifully performed” by The Scotsman. The concert will open with a showcase of young local talent as some of the area’s most talented young musicians will have the opportunity to collaborate with the line-up, performing newly composed music by Patsy.

One of the UK’s finest acoustic roots duos, Show of Hands, will close the season on Wednesday 19th May. Steve Knightley and Phil Beer have built up a huge following, sold out the Royal Albert Hall three times and performed at major festivals from Glastonbury to WOMAD. A genre-defying mix of rock, roots, blues, country and trad, it is played out on an array of instruments from slide guitar to fiddle, mandolin to South American cuatro. They were named Best Duo at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards last month, and also picked up the award for Best Original Song for Arrogance Ignorance and Greed.

Fruitmarket Folk Spring 2010 Program

Kieran Goss
Thursday 4th March, 8pm
£15
Old Fruitmarket

Blazin’ Fiddles
Sunday 14th March, 8pm
£15
Old Fruitmarket

Finbar Furey
Sunday 18th April, 8pm
£15
Old Fruitmarket

Patsy Reid’s Bridging The Gap
Tuesday 4th May, 8pm
£15
Old Fruitmarket

Show of Hands
Wednesday 19th May, 8pm
£15
Old Fruitmarket

Tickets can be booked:
In person: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
2 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
G2 3NY

City Halls and Old Fruitmarket
Candleriggs
Glasgow
G1 1NQ
By phone: 0141 353 8000

Online: www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/fruitmarketfolk