Because… No Skerryvore, No Party!
The last time Skerryvore appeared in Ayrshire Magazine, they’d just released their seventh studio album, Tempus, which not only earned them a number one in both the Scottish album and UK folk charts, but also broke into the top 40 of the UK’s main album chart.
“It was amazing,” Ayrshire-based fiddler, Craig Espie, reflects. “We’ve certainly seen a growth since then and generally more awareness of the band which has been really good.”
There’s no denying Skerryvore’s Celtic roots – the band was formed in Tiree and named after the lighthouse which sits 12 miles southwest of the island – but Tempus was their first album to include an element of mainstream popular music. Lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Alec Dalgleish, elaborates:
“I don’t know if it was a deliberate choice. It was done a little more sporadically and took a different turn which made it a bit more ‘poppy’ than some of our other stuff, and that pushed it to a different audience, as well as our own.”
Whatever the story, the album was a huge success, and it gained them an even bigger following in the lead up to their 20th anniversary gig at Kelso’s Floors Castle in May last year.
“That was the best gig we’ve probably ever done,” says Alec. “It was certainly the biggest that we’ve put on ourselves. It was amazing that so many people from all over the world came to celebrate with us. Of the 6,000 there, 1,500 came from the US alone. It was an incredible experience.”
“When you travel around the world and visit different countries and different cities,” Craig adds, “there are certain people that you see all the time. There are people that you know really well in Wisconsin or in Germany or wherever it might be, but then to see them all in one place together… It wasn’t just a gig, it felt like a proper celebration of what we’ve done for the past 20 years.”
It also resulted in their second live album, Live at Floors Castle, although, it was their first to be recorded from just one show (Live Across Scotland, as the name suggests, included a selection of live tracks recorded in different venues across Scotland).
So, when can we expect more new music from the Skerryvore boys? They seem to hesitate before answering, unsure, perhaps, of how much information they should divulge.
“I think we can say there’ll be a new album later in the year,” Craig confirms, “but there’ll be new music before that. It will be a big year for new music for us.”
Excellent! But that’s not the only thing to look forward to, because Skerryvore are back at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom on Saturday 23rd May for a special World Cup Warm-Up.
Alec says: “It’s going to be everything that a big Skerryvore gig is normally, but we also want to celebrate the fact that we’re finally back in the World Cup! We want to be part of this major celebration for Scotland, so it’s going to be a big gig for us, but we’re going to have lots of other guests joining us throughout the night with other bits of music that we might not normally do.”
He goes on to confirm that the evening won’t be entirely football-themed, just in case you happen to know someone who, for whatever reason, is not quite so enthusiastic about the upcoming tournament as each of the eight band members are! You only have to look at the band’s merchandise (in particular, the No Skerryvore No Party football shirts) to know they’ll be rooting for their national team.
“We were lucky enough to be invited to Munich for the opening match of the Euros,” Craig tells me. “The football wasn’t good from our side, but it was still one of the highlights of the band’s career. Maybe not in a music sense, but from an experience point of view.”
Does that mean they’ll be heading to America for the World Cup?
“We’re going to be in Boston for the first match,” Craig confirms. “I was 14 in 1998, watching the World Cup at my pal’s house and not even imagining that it would take 28 years for Scotland to get there again. To imagine that I’d be there and playing music as part of it… it’s pretty special.”
I ask them both about their predictions for Scotland in the World Cup and I’m met with silence again. This time, though, the silence is accompanied by wry smiles. Alec answers first:
“What can you even say? Let’s just stay in it as long as possible.”
“That’s the thing,” Craig agrees. “What we experienced in Munich was that in some ways it doesn’t really matter about the result. Scotland got absolutely hammered 5-1 by Germany, but the Scottish people were still partying in the streets. It’s about just being there, that’s more important than winning. Obviously, winning and doing well is what the team wants to do and what the nation wants the team to do, but I think just being part of it is the main thing, especially after all these years.”
“I think they’ll do better than they have lately,” adds Alec, “because it’s such a great thing to be in for the first time in so long. Hopefully it’s not too much pressure and they actually get what they need to from it.”
In the meantime, Skerryvore know exactly how to get the party started so head to their website for tickets to their World Cup Warm-Up. By buying a ticket, you’ll also be supporting Street Soccer Scotland.
“They’re a brilliant charity,” says Craig. “They use football coaching stations to help people who are struggling with addiction or homelessness. We went to visit them in Glasgow and had a kick-about with them and met some of the guys that the charity is helping out. It’s really good to be working with them, and £1 from every ticket goes to the charity to support them. It’s really nice to be doing it and helping to make a difference in some way.”
Football, in much the same way as music, really brings people together. So what could be better than combining the two for a special World Cup warm-up? Particularly when it’s hosted by one of Scotland’s biggest and most popular bands. And don’t forget… no Skerryvore, no party!
For tickets, head to
www.skerryvore.com/tour
