Heading West, the extraordinary new documentary film about Shooglenifty, one of the most innovative Scottish music bands ever formed in the 1990s, is set to tour movie theaters throughout Scotland. The screenings will begin January 20, 2023, thanks to support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland. The documentary won the ‘Trad Music in the Media’ – Scots Trad Music Awards 2022.
The film, which was premiered during the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022, documents the band’s astonishing career and their expressive journey to rediscover their musical style following the death of frontman Angus R Grant in 2016.
Founded in 1990 by musicians from the Scottish Highlands, Orkney and Edinburgh, the 7-piece ‘Shoogles’ (Eilidh Shaw, Ewan MacPherson, Malcolm Crosbie, Gary Finlayson, James Mackintosh, Quee Macarthur, and Kaela Rowan) have played to crowds of tens of thousands at major festivals all over the world and have released nine studio albums to date.
Starting with celebratory concerts in Glasgow and Galicia (Spain), Heading West looks back on the band’s long career, the effect that the death of their frontman took on the band members and their music and includes a heart-moving tribute to Angus recorded at the Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan. It also covers a bit of light-hearted soul-searching for the band and ends with them returning to Scotland with new energy, reawakened passion, and new tunes influenced by the beats and bass lines of world music.
Heading West is directed by BAFTA award-winner Don Coutts best known for Channel 4’s live chat show After Dark and the award-winning BBC children’s series Katie Morag. It is produced by Jane-Ann Purdy, a founding director of The Soundhouse Organisation and programmer of Edinburgh Tradfest, and edited by broadcaster Michelle Lord.
Jane-Ann Purdy, Producer of Heading West said: “We’re delighted to be touring Heading West to cinemas across Scotland this year. The film is a fascinating insight into the impact the loss of Angus had on the band, both as a musician and as a friend. It also celebrates their influence on the traditional music scene in Scotland from when they first rose to fame in the 1990s, and why their musical style is still seen as ‘original and best’ by Shoogle fans worldwide.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland stated: “Shooglenifty’s influence on the Scottish trad scene cannot be underestimated. For 30 years, they have pushed back musical boundaries and connected with audiences and fellow artists across the world. The band’s open-hearted approach was embedded in the spirit of fiddle genius Angus R Grant and is perfectly captured in this moving and uplifting documentary. Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland are proud to have played our part in getting the film made and now sharing Shooglenifty’s triumphant story with cinema audiences across Scotland.”
Malcolm Crosbie from Shooglenifty said: “It was an honor to make this film. Planned as a documentary of the recording of our collaboration with our Rajasthani musician friends, it evolved into a record of our efforts to deal with the loss of our great friend and fiddle player, Angus. We had the realization during the making that we still loved creating music together and that the film will always be a reminder of that.”
JAN
30 Jan | 2.45pm | GFT, Glasgow plus Q&A with Don Coutts and James Mackintosh – tickets on sale
FEB
10 Feb | tbc | Screen Machine, Liniclate – on sale soon11 Feb | 7.30pm | Universal Hall, Forres plus Q&A with Don Coutts – tickets on sale
17 Feb | tbc | Screen Machine, Castlebay – on sale soon
18 Feb | tbc | Mareel, Lerwick – on sale soon
19/21/22Feb | various times | Highland Cinema, Fort William – tickets on sale
23 Feb | 8pm | An Lanntair, Stornoway plus Q&A with Don Coutts and James Mackintosh – tickets on sale
24 Feb | tbc | Ceilidh Place, Ullapool plus Q&A with Don Coutts and James Mackintosh – on sale soon
25 Feb | tbc | UistFilm, Lochmaddy – on sale soon
25 Feb | 7pm | Cromarty Cinema – on sale soon
More about Shooglenifty
(headline image: Heading West, Filming – photo credit Douglas Robertson)
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central