Glasgow smiles better!

(Picture: https://www.celticconnections.com)

Glasgow in January mightn’t seem the highlight of the Celtic cultural calendar, but, believe me, not only is it, it has been for thirty years. The inaugural Celtic Connection festival, in 1994, was sited at just the one venue, the Royal Festival Hall, and offered 66 performances, which attracted 36,000 punters. This year there will be over 200 events that will attract over three times that number of visitors, spread over a splendour of the City’s wealth of venues, all over a mere 18 day time period. The RFH continues to feature, but everything from swish sit downconcerts to more intimate all standing gigs get the nod, and it involves such iconic names as the fabled Barrowlands Ballroom, King Tut’s, the Old Fruitmarket, the Hug and Pint, St. Luke’s and Oràn Mor: they all get a look in. And, da-dah, this year ATB has been lucky enough to blag a full week of attendances, courtesy the generosity of Innes & Campbell, the estimable PR company who have such a very firm rudder on all things to do with the promotion and presentation of Scottish music.

Like “folk” at the Cambridge Folk Festival, “celtic” here occupies a very generous and broad brush of interpretation; this is not a fortnight solid of pipes and fiddles, and, although there will undoubtedly be a fair old whack of that, this encompasses so much, much more. Yes, the cream of Scottish performers are all present and correct: bands An Danssa Dub, Breabach, Blazin’ Fiddles, Daimh, Dallahan, Fara, Gnoss, HEISK, Kinnaris Quintet, Lau, Mec Lir, Project Smok, RANT, RURA, Session A9, Skerryvore, Skippinish, Talisk, TRIP, Valtos and Westward The Light, all of whom we have covered on the ATB pages in recent months. Solo performers include Beth Malcolm, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Dougie MacLean, Eddi Reader, Hannah Rarity, James Grant, Josie Duncan, Joy Dunlop, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart and King Creosote, the list daunting amongst the homegrown talent alone.

From the rest of these islands we get a healthy spread of English, Welsh and Irish talent: ATB favourites, The Magpie Arc and Kate Rusby, get to play, as do current darlings of the entire Irish diaspora and beyond, Lankum. Sticking with Ireland, the venerable institution that was the Bothy Band gets a new lease of life, regrouping after decades, and the ongoing wonder of Altan also appear. Internationally, apart from the expected and guaranteed sell-out pull of the Transatlantic Sessions shows, there are showcases from such honorary Celts as Angelique Kidjo and Fatoumata Diawara. Who have I forgotten? Bruce Hornsby, Margo Price, Kathryn Tickell, Bèla Fleck; jings, the list is endless…… Oh, and my personal expected highlight, the opportunity for trumpeter, Colin Steele, to reconvene his Stramash band and play the piece of the same name, a remarkable combination of folk and jazz, featuring a jazz quintet, a string quartet, extra fiddle and bagpipes, all playing together.

There are also numerous special unique shows that bring together a bevy of artists to explore shared themes or newly commissioned pieces: ‘Scots Women, Generations o’ Change’ and ‘Red Clydeside: the John MacLean Centenary Concert’, the latter featuring, natuarally, added Billy Bragg! And should there be the inevitable clashes, and believe me, even in my week, there are many, every night, any disappointment around missing any favourite can be offset by the chance of catching them after hours. There are late-night sessions at both the Drygate Brewery and at the Glee Club, the latter providing the venue for the Celtic Connections Festival Club, convening at weekends, where the chances of seeing performers letting down their hair a bit, and having a bit of a hooley, is high. No advance bills, pot luck, but, let’s face it, the pot is full to overflowing.

Celtic Connections is delivered with funding from Glasgow City Council, through Glasgow Life. Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Festival Fund continue to provide invaluable support to Celtic Connections. The Capercaillie and Transatlantic Sessions bandleader, Donald Shaw, has been musical director for the last while: here is what he has to say about this year’s forthcoming:

“As we gear up for Celtic Connections 2024, the anticipation is palpable, not just for those of us who have been working behind the scenes, but across Glasgow as a whole. We are so looking forward to welcoming folks from near and far – musicians and audiences alike – to the city’s iconic venues for a celebration of music from across the globe. With a diverse lineup across the city, world premieres and rare performances from some of the most coveted artists in the world, there’s truly something special to be uncovered in every corner.“

I can’t wait!!!!

You can check all the events and buy tickets here.

Have some Stramash:

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