Folk at the Salmon Bothy
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Kenny Spiers – Sat 10th September
Kenny Speirs is one of the leading figures of the Borders folk scene, from his early days reforming Peebles Folk Club and presenting the weekly folk programme on Radio Borders to the founding of Denholm Folk Club in 1993 which he still runs today.
An evening of fine songs not to be missed.
https://www.kennyspeirs.com/
Salmon Bothy, Sat 8th Sept.,
Doors 7.30pm £10.
Popular singer-songwriter Luke Jackson is set to bring his Unlocked and Solo Scottish tour to the Salmon Bothy, Portsoy on Wednesday 17th August.
Luke, who hails from Canterbury in Kent, has steadily developed a reputation for himself in the folk, roots, Americana and acoustic circuits.
Nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Horizon Award’ for best emerging talent, he has gained huge acclaim for his work to date.
A seven track EP of songs titles ‘Of The Time’, which was penned during the Covid-19 lockdown, has been very well received as an addition to Luke’s existing catalogue of music.
Demand for performances at venues and events across the globe is at an all-time high, as is his rapidly growing national and international fan base.
Having toured extensively across the UK, Europe and USA, this is Luke’s eighth year touring in Scotland, but his first ever solo tour north of the border.
The event, organised by Folk at the Salmon Bothy, will be held at The Salmon Bothy on Wednesday 17 August.
Support will be provided by Chris Grant, who hails from Keith. A talented and prolific songwriter, Chris possesses one of the richest and instantly recognisable vocals in music, and is worthy of the many plaudits he receives from fans and peers alike.
Bob Philips, chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy, commented, “We are delighted to once again be bringing a high calibre of talent to Portsoy for local music enthusiasts to enjoy. We are really looking forward to enjoying a great night of entertainment from two excellent musicians. The gig is proving very popular, with tickets already limited, so we encourage anyone who is thinking about coming along to buy their ticket soon to avoid disappointment.”
Advance tickets for the strictly ticketed event are available now priced £10 each. Any remaining tickets will be available on the door priced £12. Doors open at 7pm, for 8pm start and attendees may bring their own bottle on the night.
12th Haal Festival
The big day is almost here – hope you’ve got your tickets.
Keep an eye out for some special guests who will be popping up at the sessions and concerts.
Here’s a copy of the festival programme
Have a great weekend 🙂
In case you missed it here’s the article released to the press last week
Traditional Music Festival Ready To Hit High Note
Organisers are gearing up for the Haal, the annual traditional music festival, which takes place from 3 – 5 June in Portsoy.
Folk at the Salmon Bothy have finalised a bumper programme of music, poetry, storytelling and workshops, which will take place at venues throughout the town during the festival weekend.
The event kicks off on Friday 3 June with the Jimmy McBeath memorial concert, an evening of bothy ballads, Scottish traditional, Gaelic and contemporary songs and tunes. Opening the concert is Jodi Beaton from Rothiemay, winner for the second year of the Wheeler trophy, presented for excellence in traditional music at Aberdeen Music School.
Also on the bill is Steve Byrne, a traditional singer from Arbroath, who along with Scott Gardner, MC for the weekend, will showcase songs and poems made famous by the late Jim Reid. Performances will also feature Bruce MacGregor and Anna Massie of Blazin’ Fiddles, and melodeon player Tim Edey. The concert will be followed by late night club singarounds and tunes sessions.
A breakfast of porridge, brose and bothy ballads on Saturday morning leads to a variety of workshops throughout the afternoon. Arthur Coates hosts a fiddle with guitar accompaniment session, Charlie West will lead a beginners whistling workshop, and Sheena Blackhall will recount a variety of stories to be enjoyed.
Singing duo Margaret Bennett and Jimmy Hutchison will teach waulking songs during their workshop, utilising a tweed specially woven by Jimmy himself, as well as performing traditional songs with a hint of Gaelic.
A host of talented competitors will battle it out for the WWC trophy in the Greig-Duncan song competition by performing a song of their choice from the Greig-Duncan collection of folk songs. Folk music stalwart Bob Sharp will present ‘all things Glasgow’, including song, music, folk club tales and more.
Saturday evening hosts the main festival concert, which will be opened by Amy Papiransky from Keith. Amy is making a name for herself on the Glasgow music scene and has appeared across the UK and internationally. A superb singer and songwriter, she has supported KT Tunstall and has signed to her record label. Headlining the concert is Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy. A legendary ballad singer and guitarist, Martin has influenced generations of artists including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, while daughter Eliza has been twice-nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and is a multiple-award winner at the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards.
Sunday offers a number of singarounds, instrumentals, storytelling and poetry sessions, as well as a music sale. An audience with Norman Kennedy will showcase a film of Norman at his home in Vermont, in conversation with Margaret Bennett and Arthur Watson, where Norman’s love of song and weaving will feature.
The festival will be brought to a close on Sunday evening with the grand farewell concert, a chance for Folk at The Salmon Bothy regulars to perform some songs or tunes, and winners from competitions across the weekend to showcase their talent.
Bob Phillips, chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy, comments, “We are delighted to once again be hosting the annual Haal festival, an authentic celebration of the best of traditional music and entertainment. The festival is always well attended and provides an opportunity to enjoy a superb line up of performances, with opportunities to take part, as well as a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones too. As always, we are extremely grateful to our sponsors and the local businesses for their support and kindness in enabling us to make the festival happen. We look forward to welcoming festival visitors from near and far to share this great programme of entertainment.”
Main sponsors for the event are Kenway Tyre Services and Hydrasun, who along with Portsoy Thrift Shop, Portsoy 75 Club, the Station Hotel Portsoy, Hamlyns of Scotland and a host of local businesses, enable the organisers to bring top quality performers and musicians to the north east for this event.
Advance tickets have been in demand, with capacity crowds anticipated for the main concerts during the event.
To book tickets, contact Bob Philips by email at bobportsoy@gmail.com, or by telephone, 07968 872 217.
Information on the Haal and all of the other Folk at the Salmon Bothy events is available at www.bothyfolk.org or on the Folk at the Salmon Bothy Facebook page.
Eliza and Martin Carthy,
Amy Papiransky Band,
Tim Edey,
Bruce McGregor,
Anna Massie,
Margaret Bennett,
Jimmy Hutchison,
Steve Byrne,
And many Folk at the Salmon Bothy regulars.
Tickets from Bob Philips bobportsoy@gmail.com
Guests include …
Eliza and Martin Carthy,
Tim Edey,
Amy Papiranski,
Anna Massie,
Margaret Bennett,
Jimmy Hutchison,
Steve Byrne,
Norman Kennedy
Folk at the Salmon Bothy regulars.
For tickets, including weekend tickets, contact bobportsoy@gmail.com
Tommy Sands returns to the Salmon Bothy – Sat 26th March
Unfortunately this event has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. We will attempt to rebook at a later date.
Northern Irish singer and social activist Tommy Sands makes a welcome return to the Salmon Bothy. Also known for performing with his siblings as part of The Sands Family, he will play solo on Saturday March 26.
Club chairman, Bob Philips, said: “It is heartening to be able to once again plan live events as Covid restrictions are eased. “As traditional music enthusiasts, our members thrive on live performances which bring together a wide variety of talented performers and provide opportunities to join in, socialise and enjoy the entertainment on offer.
Tickets from Bobportsoy@gmail.com 07968872217
Doors 1930 £10.
Folk at the Salmon Bothy’s regular open mic sessions will make a welcome return on Friday March 18. The sessions will then continue on the third Friday of each month.
Everyone is welcome to attend to either perform or just enjoy the entertainment. There is a small admission charge and a list will be in operation – be sure to arrive in good time and put your name down if you’d like to perform.
Postponed until Oct 2022
12:00 Portsoy Cemetery
Laying of wreath at Jimmy’s grave, with a few stories and songs, led by Danny Couper
14:00 Portsoy Community Church Hall
Celebration of Jimmy’s life and contribution to Folk Song.
Led by Arthur Watson with support from Danny Couper, Geordie Murison, Scott Gardiner and The Spiers Family, performing songs from Jimmy’s repertoire, with a few surprising snippets from Jimmy himself.
19:30 Portsoy Community Church Hall
Concert – Doors open from 19:00
Bill Gray and Doug Hay will start the evening with a few of the songs made famous by Jimmy McBeath.
Gary West, Charlie West and Scott Gardiner will then perform Jock’s Jocks, a one-act play based on the wartime stories of around sixty WW1 soldiers, who were interviewed by north-east singer Jock Duncan
Choras (Aileen Carr, Barbara Dymock & Janice Clark) will round off the evening’s entertainment.
Afternoon Ticket £10
Evening Concert £15
Both for £20
Advance Tickets
Contact Bob Philips:
bobphilips25@live.co.uk
07968 872217
Upstairs at the Salmon Bothy
Tickets from Bob Philips
bobphilips25@live.co.uk
07968872217
