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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
Photos of Skerryvore by J N Photography Aberdeen: https://ashotinthedark.weebly.com/
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Intrigued by the support band as previous nights had Manran or The Eves, both of which I am a fan of, I was delighted to get there and find it was Nati Dreddd. I have been following her on Facebook for a while, but not had the chance to experience live before, having missed her recent Older tour. This loan singer gave us a lovely some really nice songs, mostly of her own material, including 5 More Minutes, This Town and Stay. Her set included a rather interesting cover, which was slightly unexpected considering the rest of her material, but certainly raised some smiles across the room and yes we did sing along to I’m Horny! Nati was accompanied by Kieran on drums and Ben on keyboard and did a great job of warming up the audience.
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Skerryvore came on stage following flashing lights and a ticking countdown of anticipation and excitement. Although I knew I had seen Skerryvore before I was surprised on checking back and finding that it was long ago as 2010! At the now defunct music festival T in the Park my friend and I had gone into a ceilidh tent to dry out and try to warm up, only to find Skerryvore definitely livening up the crowd.
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What a vibe! What a fun time you have watching this band. It contains some very talented guys who cannot only play the bagpipes, which alluded me as a youngster, but play other instruments as well – whilst jumping up and down and totally getting the crowd going. The fiddle player Craig Espie is amazing, although I take credit for not maiming the people behind us that were talking about tamagotchi during his amazing solo. If you just want to talk please stay in the pub or wait until the gig is over, this is definitely one of my pet hates, but especially when its during a quieter instrumental when the chatter can overcome the actual music that we all go to concerts for.
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This band is a unique mix of the rocky electric guitar, massive drums, and the shiny base guitar of a rock band mixed with very traditional instruments of our country: the bagpipes, fiddle and accordion. One minute we are bouncing about like crazy, the next listening wistfully to the thoughtful lyrics. Alec Dalglish writes the lyrics as well as playing lead guitar and is a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes he seems quite insignificant in-between the unmissable pipers Martin Gillespie and Scott Wood but he really is essential, there was a lovely moment when he was in a central spotlight doing a wee solo and it was just captivating. When introducing the song Good Times Never Die he suggested we all remembered anyone we had lost during 2023 and dedicated the song to their special friend Bruce Guthro from Runrig who passed away in September. In Live Forever we were all singing along to the “forever” and “together”s even if we did not know the other words. I especially enjoyed Happy To Be Home and Take My Hand. I love dancing with my husband and slipped my hand into his during this song and had one of those special moments when you just feel totally in tune with your partner and know everything is well. The power of music never ceases to amaze and overwhelm me. There was a young boy up in the balcony who got a shout out as it was his first concert, every time I glanced up he was bouncing away on a knee from the party he was with, looking utterly ecstatic.
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At the end Fraser West was careful to throw one of his drum sticks up to them which is a wonderful momento of your first concert, and what a great choice of bands to experience. This was their last live concert of the year and they very nearly took the roof off the Music Hall with their tremendous sound, and the very enthusiastic appreciation shown by the audience. At one point the band ended a song that we had been encouraged to sing along to the “oo”s and the crowd just kept going, unwilling for the joy to end – until the band started back up again and we got another round of it! I think they were as happy as we were to keep it going, just a joyous moment!
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An earlier incarnation of Skerryvore was called “Brois,” a Tiree Gaelic word which translated to “a complete cock up”. After spending an evening with them it is safe to confirm they were utterly correct to change their name to the name of a lighthouse as it is far more indicative of the bright stars that they are.
Further information: https://linktr.ee/NatiDreddd and https://skerryvore.com/
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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